A web site is typically a collection of web pages that contain digital media including images, videos and text related to a given topic, company, or other subject. A web site is accessed by means of a Uniform Resource Locator or URL which consists of the domain name of the web site. The network on which a web site sits is based on a communications medium known as the Internet Protocol. Servers host web sites which are typically accessed through the public network known as the Internet.
The web pages that make up a site are typically written in plain text that is formatted with instructions and commands from a language known as the Hypertext Markup Language or HTML. Web pages may contain links to other web pages or even other web sites.
The Hypertext Transfer Protocol is used specifically to access web pages and may provide additional security encryption to protect the privacy of individuals accessing certain web pages, like a shopping web site’s credit card protection. A web browser is used to view a web page, often using the formatting instructions inserted in the page from HTML.
The World Wide Web is made up of all websites that can be accessed publicly.
The home page of a web site is the foundation page for a web site from which all other pages are accessed. Typically the other web pages are organized into a hierarchy and are reached from the homepage or other pages by means of hyperlinking. Hyperlinking enables the user to move through or navigate the web site and understand its structure.
Although most web sites can be accessed directly, others require a subscription or user name and password to be accessed. Some of the web sites that require such subscriptions may include social networking web sites, web-based email, certain research databases, or web sites that provide other types of services.