Components of web site building

There are two major components to building a web site: the "front end" and the "back end." For the most part, “design” refers to the front end – what people see – and development to the back end – what makes it work. Two other components needed to make your site complete are hosting, which refers to the computer or server where your web site is run, and e-commerce, which is often built and managed separately from the rest of your site.

Front end: web site design and content
The front end is what your web site looks like: the images and text visitors see when they click on your site. Graphic designers concentrate on the front end, choosing appropriate images, fonts, and layout. They should have a strong understanding of what works visually on a computer screen and know the technical limitations of designing for the web.

Be wary of choosing a web designer based only on a portfolio. Sites that look beautiful in printouts may be slow and hard to use. Examples shown via the designer’s web site may be full of flash – and Flash (see “Back end: web site building and development”) – but lacking in content or real value. A good web designer needs to combine technical and design expertise.

Back end: web site building and development
Web developers actually build your site, writing the back end code that makes it work. The HTML (HyperText Markup Language) code they write allows visitors’ browsers to display your images and read your text – it’s the common language of the web. Developers don’t usually call it “programming” when they’re working on basic web sites.

Some other back end terms you might encounter:

• Javascript is used for simple site functionality such as pop up windows (the helpful kind, not the ads), some kinds of animation, and making sure users have filled out forms correctly.
• ASP and PHP provide customization and interactivity, such as collecting data from visitors or displaying account information.

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• CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) let you easily control the look of your entire web site from a central file.
• Flash allows for interactive menus, animated presentations, and interactive tools. (Bonus design tip: skip the fancy Flash animated intro. Visitors don’t want to watch it and you’ll save money.)

Hosting
For customers to access your web site, it needs to reside on a server connected to the Internet. Unless you plan to turn your site into an Internet powerhouse, your hosting needs should be fairly straightforward at first. For a basic web site, the server can be a fairly modest computer. Hosting should also cover data backup and security for any customer data being collected. For help choosing a hosting service, read our Site Hosting Buyer’s Guide.

E-commerce
If you sell products directly through your web site, you're doing e-commerce. Typically, e-commerce services are considered to be a separate project from the construction of a web site, due to the different back-end tools to set up and run the online store. Many web site designers offer e-commerce development as well, but it's usually priced separately. For more information, read our E-commerce Buyer's Guide.