1.0123 Reg Blog: Small business tips, insight and advicehttps://www.123-reg.co.uk/blogThom Harrisonhttps://www.123-reg.co.uk/blog/author/thomas-harrison/rich600338<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="hwjBC5L3Qo"><a href="https://www.123-reg.co.uk/blog/featured/what-is-a-website-anyway/">What is a Website, Anyway?</a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://www.123-reg.co.uk/blog/featured/what-is-a-website-anyway/embed/#?secret=hwjBC5L3Qo" width="600" height="338" title="“What is a Website, Anyway?” — 123 Reg Blog: Small business tips, insight and advice" data-secret="hwjBC5L3Qo" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script> /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(d,l){"use strict";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),c=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display="none";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):"link"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute("src")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener("message",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute("data-secret"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+="#?secret="+t,e.setAttribute("data-secret",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:t},"*")},!1)))}(window,document); //# sourceURL=https://www.123-reg.co.uk/blog/wp-includes/js/wp-embed.min.js </script> https://www.123-reg.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/WordPress-1440x460-1-scaled.jpg2560818Imagine being a caveman plucked from prehistoric times and dropped into the modern world. Suddenly, you find yourself surrounded by shiny screens and glowing boxes, with people tapping away on them all day long. “What’s going on here?” you wonder. You soon realise these glowing boxes are the new campfire — a place to connect, learn, share ideas. But this isn’t about mammoth skins or swapping tales of hunting grounds. Everything’s happening online, and without your own space… well, like the only caveman without fire, you’re missing out big time.   What is a website? A website is a digital space where people find information, connect with others, shop and learn. It’s a place to share ideas, tell stories or create something engaging. Specifically, a website is accessed through a browser, which is the software or app on your phone, computer or tablet that brings it to life. Websites have revolutionised the way we connect with others. Making it easier than ever to reach people far and wide, they let audiences discover what you’re all about and explore what you have to offer. This is also why they’re brilliant for business — helping you share your work, sell your products, and find success in ways that were once unimaginable.   What Types of Website Are There? Lots! Just some of the most common types of websites include:  Type of Website   What It’s All About  Landing Pages  Single-page sites made for a campaign or product, designed to turn visitors into leads or customers.  E-commerce Websites  Where businesses sell their products or services directly online.  Business Websites  To show off what a company offers and pull in potential customers.  Portfolio Websites  Perfect for showing off creative work, whether you’re an artist, designer, or in a similar field.  Blogs  From ‘Web Log’ – spots to share stories, articles, or ideas. Nonprofit Websites  All about sharing a cause, providing details, and encouraging donations or involvement.  Educational Websites  Hubs for learning, offering courses or resources for kids and adults alike.  News Websites  Places for the latest updates, articles, and coverage on what’s happening in the world.  Government Websites  Official sites offering services, resources, and information from local councils to national bodies.  Social Media Websites  Where people connect, share, and interact in the online world.  Forum Websites  Great for joining discussions, asking questions, or swapping tips in a community setting.  Wiki Websites  Spaces for collaborating on content—think encyclopaedias or user-driven knowledge hubs.    The History of the Internet (in One Minute) In the early days, the internet was an experimental network connecting just a handful of computers. In 1969, ARPANET linked four machines across the US to share information. It wasn’t much at first — just basic messages and data-sharing — but it was the first step towards something special.  In 1971, the invention of email allowed messages to be sent across this early network. By the 1970s, TCP/IP protocols were developed, acting like a system of phone numbers that let different networks communicate with each other.  In the late 80s, British computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee introduced the World Wide Web. In 1989, he developed the concept of Hypertext, URLs, and the first web browser (also called WorldWideWeb). Berners-Lee also invented HTML, a coding language — or rather, a “markup” language — that gave pages structure and made it easier to create this new fangled “web” content.  The Domain Name System (DNS) was developed to link easy-to-remember domain names (like www.123-reg.co.uk) to phone number-like IP Addresses that computers use to identify each other online.  See also: What is DNS – How Websites Get Found Online The first website went live in 1991 at CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research), created to share information about the World Wide Web project. However, it wasn’t until 1994, with the release of the more user-friendly Netscape Navigator, that browsing began to go mainstream. Microsoft’s Internet Explorer came to dominate in the late-90s. Top-Level Domain “extensions” (TLDs) like .com and .co.uk were among the first to be introduced, sparking the domain name boom and shaping the internet’s commercial landscape. New and niche generic domain endings (gTLDs) were released to keep up with demand. Behind the scenes, various organisations emerged to manage the internet’s infrastructure. In 1998, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) was founded to oversee domain names and IP addresses worldwide. The Dot-Com Boom of the 90s was the internet’s big bang, with businesses rushing to establish an online presence and investors throwing money at nearly every startup with a “dot com” in its name. When the boom became a bubble in 2000, many companies faced collapse, but the dust eventually settled, paving the way for the internet we know today. Ecommerce revolutionised shopping forever. Search Engines changed the way we access information — with Google surpassing Yahoo! in the early 2000s, and remaining the world’s most popular search provider ever since. Over the next decade, Broadband brought faster speeds. Smartphones arrived and 3G Networks enabled faster mobile internet, making it possible to stay connected on the go. By 2012, mobile devices accounted for around 10% of internet traffic. Today, smartphones and tablets account for over 60%. Online Banking allowed people to manage their money from the comfort of their sofa. Illegal file sharing upended the music, film, and publishing industries. Cloud Computing transformed how we store and access data. Social Media Platforms, Dating Websites, and countless other services became part of daily life. Privacy and Safety Concerns grew. Then came the explosion of Apps, the rise of Social Media Influencers, and, how could we forget, internet Memes. Online Shopping went from strength to strength. Google acquired YouTube. Bitcoin went mainstream. TikTok overtook FaceBook. Musk bought Twitter.  And, with AI on the verge of shaking the whole thing up again, here we are… See also: .com vs .co.uk – Which Domain is Best for Your British Business?    How Do Websites Work? Websites are made up of files stored on servers that can be viewed