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How Does a Website Work?
Taylor Tunnison • May 26, 2022

It’s easy to take the internet for granted. It usually works without us knowing what happens behind the scenes. Much like a vehicle, we rarely question online systems unless something goes wrong, or we happen to work in the industry. We can simply browse countless websites on a whim without a second thought. How does a website work, though? Luckily, you don’t have to be a computer programmer to form a basic understanding. Here we provide a brief overview of how websites work to shine a light on this critical, world-shaping process.

What Is a Website?

Just what is a website, and how does a website work? A website is a collection of web pages tied to a certain domain name. Web designers organize these pages into a structure that promotes user-friendly navigation on different devices. The purpose of most websites is to display information via the public internet.


The internet is basically a network of powerful computers around the world. While it may seem like a digital place, it has deep roots in the physical world. Internet service providers (ISPs) and cloud computing companies maintain massive data centers filled with cutting-edge web servers that communicate with each other constantly.


Web servers store data files used in websites. These are either code files in HTML, CSS, or JavaScript, or asset files like images, music, videos, and documents. Web servers are like digital hotels that allow websites and their components to live on them. This is known as “hosting,” and large corporations often rent space on their servers for a monthly fee.


In our opinion, every business needs a website. It’s one of the best ways to build trust, connect with wide audiences, and stay competitive in the 21st century. This is partly because over 60% of the global population uses the internet. High-quality websites are user-friendly, optimized for mobile devices, and easily found on search engines. Unfortunately, over 25% of small businesses in the United States still don’t have one.

How Websites Work

Many processes execute when you visit a website. They run in the blink of an eye, even if web servers are far away. This is one of the main benefits of hosting a website with a professional provider. Your website will often securely load in seconds, even for a large number of concurrent users.


Let’s define some basic technical terminology. First, there are clients. Clients are devices connected to the internet in one way or another. They can range from servers, PCs, and smartphones to smart watches, TVs, speakers, and even newer vehicles. Then, we have domains. A domain, or web address, is essentially the name of a website. It’s a unique identifier that references a website’s unique internet protocol (IP) address. Domains are more user-friendly than IP addresses, which are simply strings of numbers.


So, how does a website work exactly? Let’s say you open up your laptop, click a web browser (whether it’s Chrome, Firefox, or Safari), and type in www.facebook.com. Your browser sends a request for that website through your ISP to a domain name system (DNS) server. The DNS server(s) then locates the IP address for the web server(s) that stores Facebook’s website contents. This precise IP address returns to your ISP, which responds back to your web browser. Your browser then knows exactly where to find Facebook’s public data, and it can send a direct request before downloading the website’s data to your laptop.


This all seems straightforward, right? Well, it’s only a simplified view of how websites work. In reality, there are many DNS servers involved in locating a website’s IP address, and they function much like a phone book for the internet. Amazon has a great breakdown of this if you want to learn more.

Websites Made Easy

If all of this sounds like too much for you, then don’t worry! You can still create a stunning, professional website with our help. We take the guesswork out of clients, hosting, and domains so you can focus on what you do best. Feel free to contact us to learn how to get started today.

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