Clients regularly have questions about the technical side of web development. I encourage anyone with questions to contact me, but I’ve also provided this page to describe some general expectations and web technology basics.
General Expectations
Terms that are underlined are explained below. When a client commissions a project, I will go through five basic phases:
- Gather Information
- Create Wireframes & Mockups
- Build Website/Graphics/Logos/Print Materials
- Review / Iterate
- Launch
If the project is a website, the client will need to have their own domain name and a web hosting plan setup before launch. It’s preferred that these are established before the building phase and depending on the nature of the website, it may be required.
Server
A server is a computer setup with the intention of serving a useful purpose for other computers. In the context of websites, a server is where websites are stored and the server is considered part of the “internet”. When you type an address in a browser, the browser sends a request to a web server to retrieve the website. The server responds by sending the page you requested to your browser.
A hosting provider is usually a company that sells “web hosting” services to individuals and businesses. A customer will rent a portion of storage space to house their websites on one of the hosting provider’s servers.
A domain name (or “domain”) is the friendly address (also known as a Uniform Resource Locator—URL) for a website. Google.com is an example of a domain name. Every website has an “unfriendly” address which is called an Internet Protocol (IP) Address.
IP addresses are a long series of numbers (and A-F letters for newer IP address protocols) that also identify websites. Google.com’s IP address is 74.125.155.147. If you were to type their IP Address into your browser, you would load Google’s website. Since remembering IP addresses is impractical, having a domain name is necessary. Most hosting providers will also sell services to allow you to register a domain.
A website is essentially a group of files. These files include images, videos, rich content, and text-based files filled with web code. A CMS is a software application that makes it easier for users to make changes to their website. If your website is built on a CMS, then you don’t need to have knowledge of web languages to add, edit and remove content on your website.
A CMS is installed on a web server, not a personal computer, therefore you access the CMS similarly to a website: through a browser. WordPress is the Content Management System I primarily use to build websites. It is the most widely used CMS. CNN, Wired Magazine, People Magazine, TechCrunch, Kobe Bryant & CBS New York are just a few websites built on WordPress.
