A website can be divided into pieces a lot of different ways.
You can divide up the process of development into stages, or you can look at
the individual parts. But a website is not like a car. The pieces don’t screw
together or came apart in the same way. What makes a website work is the
interaction between components that are separated in space and, possibly, time.
Some of the pieces are more theoretical, such as the layout and the navigation
structure. It’s like the frame of the car, except that you can’t actually see
the frame.
COMPONENTS OF A WEBSITE
¤ Front End Elements
¾
front end is what you see, back end is what you don’t
¾
front end elements includes the objects that composed the
interface of the website
ο The Navigation
Structure
·
is the order of the pages, the collection of what links to what
·
usually it is held together by at least one navigation menu
ο The page layout
·
this is the way things appear on the page
o Is the navigation menu
on the top or along the side?
o Are there images above
the text area? Tables?
·
good layout is as important as any other element of design
·
bad layout makes a website look crowded and slapdash
·
good layout allows the eye to find what it seeks easily
ο Logo
·
this graphic represents the company or an organization
·
it often sets up the color scheme and the style elements used
throughout
·
it ties the website to everything else the company does
ο Images
·
this represents photos, graphics, navigation bars, lines and
flourishes, animations that can all be placed on a website to bring it to life
ο Contents
·
this is usually the information which is broken into readable
chunks used primarily to communicate to the viewer
·
it is formatted to be easily scanned, and it is often optimized
for search engines as well as human eyes
ο Graphic Design
·
it is the overall look of the website as a result of proper use
and integration of all the elements (logo, images, layout, navigations menus,
etc…)
¤ Back End elements
¾
these refers to the functional elements of a website such as the
following:
o
modern sites are searchable
o some websites allow the
user to request more information such as downloading, or to post their own
thoughts such as forums, bulletins, threads, polls, etc…
o can be updated directly
from a simple panel or word-processing program
¤ Content Management
System (CMS)
¾
this is the ability to update your website without having to
directly edit the HTML
¾
a robust content management system allows for documents to be
prepared, edited, approved, and tracked prior to publication
¾
simple systems create areas on a web page that can be easily
changed on a regular basis
¤ E-Commerce
ο
this refers to the purchasing of items from the internet in a
website
·
new levels of convenience are possible, such as mail-order
rentals of DVDs and games
·
the simple ability to safely process credit-card transactions
over the internet is where this process begins
¤ Shopping Cart
ο
this is just a way for visitors to pick out different items and
make a single purchase at the end of the process
·
if you have one or two products, it’s fine if visitors click a
couple times, fill out information, and purchase the product
·
if you have a lot of different things for sale, you need a
shopping cart
¤ Site Search
ο
this is a part of a website where you can search information you
want from that site
¤ Blog feature
ο
blogs are much in the news these days
ο
blogs can be done independently, or as part of your website
ο
some content management systems have blog modules
ο
specialized blogging software can be installed on your server, or
you can use blogging services
¤ Image-rotation
ο
presenting new images each time someone visits your page gives
it a sense of life
·
photos can be rotated, as can pieces of text, such as quotes or
service descriptions
¤ Chatroom
ο
there are a number of ways to allow people to interact online
·
bulletin board allows people to post up messages on a topic
·
chatroom allows users to comment back and forth in real time
¤ Contact forms
ο
most websites need some kind of contact form
·
even if you are just giving information away, you still might want
people to thank you for it
·
whether the goal is commerce or political organizing, contact
forms are a starting point for interaction
¤ Referral forms
ο
viral marketing takes many forms
·
if someone likes your site, and has an easy, one-push way to
notify her friends, you’ve turned your visitors into salespeople
¤ Newsletter registration
ο
if you have the kind of content that is updated periodically,
there are few better ways to build a regular readership than newsletters
·
newsletters keep you in front of potential clients, as well as
keeping your current clients in the loop about your new products, services, or
campaigns
·
the fastest way to build a legitimate newsletter mailing list is
to allow people to choose in at your website
¤ Online databases
ο
databases allow us to store, sort, search through, and display
large amounts of information
·
online databases bring this technology seamlessly to the Web
¤ Password protected
sections
ο
the public area of your website is a great way to serve a
variety of audiences
·
But what if you have a membership that deserves better, more
comprehensive content?
·
Or what if you want certain registered visitors to be able to
perform online actions?
ο
this is a section of a website set aside for internal processes
·
this is easily done by creating password protected sections
¤ Downloadable files
ο
this is an easy way to distribute files all over the world
·
from simple flyers to hundred page documents, e-books, music
files, and even movie clips can be downloaded from websites
¤ Multi-media
ο
this refers to photo-tours, video-clips, sound-clips that can
add to a website if they are well matched to the type of site and profile of
the target audience
¤ Security
ο
all kinds of information can be found hidden on websites
·
trade secrets, proprietary programming, client credit card
numbers, and every imaginable piece of personal data
ο
if you are passing information online that is not meant for
everyone, then you want to ensure you have the right level of security
Other components
¾ some elements that are essential to a website aren’t properly described
as either front-end or back-end components
¤ Hosting
ο it is where your website is physically located
·
on a server, or somewhere, are a set of files that
are transmitted to user computers when they call your name
¤ Domain Name
ο it refers to the address of your website
·
when someone asks to see your website, they put
this address into the internet, and your site is served up to them
¤ Online Promotion
ο not exactly part of the website, but often part of the design as well as
the activity surrounding its launch is the online promotion
·
a site with no visitors is like a huge monument
built in an uninhabited desert
DIFFERENT KINDS OF
WEBSITE
¤
Website
ο
it is a collection of web
pages, images, videos or other digital resources that are addressed with a common domain
name or IP address on an Internet Protocol network
ο
it is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via the
Internet or a private local area network
ο
web page
·
is a set of contents arranged on the web pages using Markup
Languages like HTML, XHTML
·
all publicly accessible web sites collectively constitute the
World Wide Web
¤
the pages of a web site can usually be accessed from a simple Uniform Resource Locator (URL)
¤
the first page of the website is called the homepage, which is connected to all inner pages
There are range of websites each having particular type of
content in specific field. These websites may be randomly classified in any
number of ways. A few such classifications are:
ο Affiliate: enabled portal that renders not only its custom
CMS but also syndicated content from other content providers for an agreed fee.
There are usually three relationship tiers. Affiliate Agencies (e.g.,
Commission Junction), Advertisers (e.g., eBay) and consumer (e.g., Yahoo!).
ο Archive site: used to preserve valuable electronic contents that
are on verge of extinction. For examples: Internet Archive, which since 1996
has preserved billions of old and new web pages; and Google Groups, which in
early 2005 had preserved over 845,000,000 messages posted to Usenet
news/discussion groups.
ο Blog Site: sites generally used to post online diaries,
comments or views that may include discussion forums (e.g., blogger, Xanga).
ο Content Site: these sites create and sell of original content
to end-user. (e.g., Slate, About.com).
ο Corporate website: used to provide information regarding business,
organization, or service.
ο Commerce site (or eCommerce site): these sites
are designed for purchasing or selling goods, such as Amazon.com, CSN Stores,
and Overstock.com.
ο Community site: sites where persons with similar interests
communicate to each other through chatting and messaging or through social
message boards, such as MySpace or Facebook.
ο City Site: A site that shows information about a certain city
or town and events that takes place in that town. Usually created by the city
council. For example, Richmond.com is the geodomain for Richmond, Virginia.
ο Gripe site: a site devoted to the critique of a person, place,
corporation, government, or institution.
ο Humor site: satirizes, parodies or otherwise exists solely to
amuse.
ο Information site: contains content that is intended to inform
visitors, but not necessarily for commercial purposes, such as:
RateMyProfessors.com, Free Internet Lexicon and Encyclopedia. Most government,
educational and non-profit institutions have an informational site.
ο Mirror site: A complete reproduction of a website.
ο News site: similar to an information site, but dedicated to
dispensing news and commentary.
ο Personal homepage: run by an individual or a small group such as a
family that contains information or any content that the individual wishes to
include. These are usually uploaded using a web hosting service such as
Geocities.
ο Phish Site: a website created to fraudulently acquire
sensitive information, such as passwords and credit card details, by disguising
as a trustworthy person or business (such as Social Security Administration,
PayPal) in an electronic communication.
ο Political site: A site on which people may voice political views.
ο Rating site: A site on which people can praise or disparage
what is featured.
ο Review site: A site on which people can post reviews for
products or services.
ο School site: a site on which teachers, students, or
administrators can post information about current events at or involving their
school.
ο Video sharing: A site that enables user to upload videos, such as
YouTube and Google Video.
ο Search engine site: a site that provides general information and is
intended as a gateway for retrieving other sites. Google, Yahoo and MSN are the
most widely known search engines.
ο Shock site: includes images or other material that is intended
to be offensive to most viewers (e.g. rotten.com).
ο Warez: a site designed to host and let users download
copyrighted materials illegally.
ο Web portal: a site is vehicle that provides a gateway to other
resources on the Internet or an intranet.
TWO CATEGORIES OF A
WEBSITE
¤
Static Websites
ο
It is a simple website design which is cost effective and
beneficial for the small enterprises or individuals to expand their business
through web
ο
through static website individuals or small business houses can
place simple information regarding their company and products in simple manner
and at low cost
ο
it is very useful for expanding market of company with its
information and appearance on Internet
ο
it is perfect for individuals, businesses or companies that have
a message that change slowly
ο
users can quickly and easily put contents and images without
having much experience
ο
it ideal for demonstrating how your website will look on
Internet
Advantage of Static Website:
There are a number of advantages of the static websites:
·
simple to create and host
·
cheaper in the comparison of dynamic website design
·
easy navigation for search engines
·
quick to download images, brochures even on lower
bandwidths
·
each and every page of the website is editable but
the certain knowledge is required
·
can see the preview before adding on live
·
can change the layout of web page when desired
·
direct control over content
Disadvantage of Static Website:
·
could cost you more in the long run depending on
the frequency of the updates
·
long change process as you have to wait for a
website designer to have the time to make your changes
·
difficult to maintain when a site gets large
·
difficult to keep consistent and up to date
¤
Dynamic Websites
ο
these are the pages that change dynamically
ο
dynamic pages can change every time when they are loaded without
making any changes
ο
dynamic web pages can also change their content based on what
user do, like clicking on some text or an image
·
if the information stored in the database changes, the web page
connected to the database change accordingly and automatically without human
intervention
ο
dynamic sites are great for image galleries, online calendars or
e-commerce etc.
There are several
advantages of dynamic website that benefits your company in number of ways. The
first and foremost advantage of dynamic website is that it make large site practical and easy in maintenance. For instance if you have company
templates that pulls contents from database then you have to update menu links
in one place and it is updated across the site. But with simple static HTML
pages you have to update everywhere.
Here are some of the advantages of a dynamic website:
·
Content Management System (CMS)
¾
if your company has lots of information such as
news, events, happenings, innovation or products that you want to share with
the world
§ then dynamic website is the best way to update your website regularly
without paying much
·
E- commerce site
¾
in the online business, the dynamic website is
cheaper, easier and the best option to sell your products online
¾
with dynamic website you can take your orders and
updates your products in very convenient ways
·
Members database
¾
dynamic website allows people to manage information
throughout the websites by using your administration interface
¾
the dynamic website also helps users in easy login
to sites
·
Deliver information to a wider audience
¾
dynamic websites helps in storing of information in
database in more potential way
¾
this also helps in data delivery in accessible
format or using RSS
FEATURES OF WEB
DESIGNING
¤ There
are several aspects that must be considered while designing a site. Some of the
prominent features of web designing are:
ο
Scope of the website
¾ it is very
important to have specific target prior to initiate web designing
¾ pilot testing
and feasibility should be carried out in order to decipher what are the
drawbacks and shortcomings
¾ it is
necessary to check scope of the website and be sure that content of the web
pages were placed accordingly
¾ it is advised
to not design heavy sites with several links if it is used for personal
purposes or representing a small business
¾ most online
sites are designed with the aim to be user friendly and easy to surf
ο
Layout of the website
¾ While
designing it is necessary to keep website requirement in mind.
¾ The
prerequisite designing help in content and web pages sequencing.
¾ The
chronological order of the website gives a submissive look that helps in
navigation.
¾ Heavy
animations and images make website heavy and complex. Such websites consume
much time to load and most people quickly lose interest.
¾ It is proven
that more people are attracted to simpler built web site as compared to those,
which are heavily filled with images, sounds and animations.
ο
Compatibility of the website
¾ The website
is designed in a manner that it is well matched with the major browsers that
are used in the world.
¾ Before adding
animation or graphics to the website it is necessary to know which type of
browsers support it.
¾ Always check
the authenticity of a server before uploading work online.
ο
Use of text in website
¾ It is
necessary to make certain that the text used on website is relevant.
¾ It is
necessary that the text and language in the website is easily understandable.
¾ The use of
keywords while describing the contents of your website is also very important
as it keeps the focus of the reader on to the various topics.
¾ It is advised
not to fill the websites with various links and irrelevant text and content.
¾ It necessary
to organized and planned approach while placing content on website.
ο
Safe and Secure mechanism
¾ If you are
dealing with an online business or financial transaction through your website
it is advisable to have latest security protocols which integrates within the
website to ensure the exchange of cash is safe and secure on any occasion.
¾ Moreover it is
necessary to keep your website safe and free from viruses and hackers to
prevent from the theft and damages of your personal data and money.
There are several features that must be considered
while developing website. The effective and efficient website can be developed
by merging different web designing features.
¤ Some other
features that should be considered in web designing are:
ο
Text
¾ Background does not interrupt the text
¾ Text is big enough to read, but not too big
¾ The hierarchy of information is perfectly clear
¾ Columns of text are narrower than in a book to make reading easier on
the screen
ο Navigation
¾ Navigation buttons and bars are easy to understand and use
¾ Navigation is consistent throughout web site
¾ Navigation buttons and bars provide the visitor with a clue as to where
they are, what page of the site they are currently on
¾ Frames, if used, are not obtrusive
¾ A large site has an index or site map
ο Links
¾ Link colors coordinate with page colors
¾ Links are underlined so they are instantly clear to the visitor
ο Graphics
¾ Buttons must be not big and dorky
¾ Every graphic has an alt label
¾ Every graphic link has a matching text link
¾ Graphics and backgrounds use browser-safe colors
¾ Animated graphics turn off by themselves
ο General
Design
¾ Pages download quickly
¾ First page and home page fit into 800 x 600 pixel space
¾ All of the other pages have the immediate visual impact within 800 x 600
pixels
¾ Excellent use of graphic elements (photos, subheads, pull quotes) to
break up large areas of text
¾ Every web page in the site looks like the parts of the parent site;
there are repetitive elements that carry throughout the pages
