When I built my first website years ago, I was excited but also very confused. I wanted my site to appear online like the big websites I used to visit—Yahoo Mail, Google, Facebook—but I didn’t understand what really made them “work.” I thought it was just about writing something, uploading it, and boom! It appears online. But I later discovered websites run on simple but powerful systems working together behind the scenes.
In this article, I’ll break it down the same way I understand it today—as someone who has built multiple websites, lost many due to lack of concentration in the early days, and finally mastered the process through personal experience and YouTube learning.
How Do Websites Work?
Websites work through a simple process: your browser sends a request to a server where the website files are stored, the server processes the request, and then sends the website back to your device so you can view it. This entire process happens in less than a second, even though it involves multiple moving parts.
The 4 Key Components That Make a Website Work
Every website you visit—whether it’s Google, YouTube, or a simple blog—relies on four major components. Without these, a website cannot appear online:
- A domain name
- Web hosting (server)
- Website files (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, images, content)
- A web browser to load the site
Let me break each one down in a way that makes complete sense.
1. The Domain Name – The Address of the Website
Your domain name (like taculiadesigns.com.ng) is simply your website’s “home address.” It’s what people type into their browser to find you. When someone types your domain name, the request is sent to your hosting server.
If you remove the domain name, people wouldn’t know how to locate your website.
2. Web Hosting – Where the Website Lives
When I lost several websites in 2019, one major reason was hosting problems. Hosting is where your website actually lives. Think of it as a house where all your website files stay:
- Your images
- Your written content
- Your design files
- Your database
So when someone clicks your link, their device connects to your hosting server, collects the files, and shows the website on their screen.
3. Website Files – The Structure and Design
Every website has files that tell the browser what to show. These include:
- HTML – the structure of the page
- CSS – the design, colors, fonts, and layout
- JavaScript – the interactivity (buttons, menus, animations)
- Images, videos, icons
Even WordPress websites run on these same files. WordPress only makes them easier to manage without writing code.
4. The Browser – What Displays the Website
Your browser (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, etc.) is the final piece of the puzzle. It takes the files sent by the server and displays them in a clean format you can view and interact with.
Without the browser, websites would simply be unreadable code.
How a Website Works Step-by-Step
Now let’s break down the whole process in a simple flow you can understand:
- You type a domain name (example: taculiadesigns.com.ng).
- Your browser sends a request to the DNS (Domain Name System) asking where the website is hosted.
- The DNS points the browser to the hosting server.
- The server receives the request and fetches the website files.
- The server sends the files back to your browser.
- Your browser displays the website on your screen.
All this happens in milliseconds. That’s the power of internet technology.
Why Some Websites Load Faster Than Others
Fast websites usually have:
- Good hosting
- Compressed images
- Lightweight themes
- Few plugins
Slow websites are often overloaded with heavy files, slow servers, or poorly built templates.
Front-End vs Back-End (Simple Explanation)
Front-End (What You See)
This is everything a visitor sees:
- Text
- Images
- Buttons
- Menus
- Animations
Back-End (What You Don’t See)
This is the engine behind the website:
- Database
- Server processing
- User accounts
- Admin dashboard
- Content storage
When you log into WordPress to edit pages or write articles, you are working on the back-end.
Understanding HTTPS and Website Security
You’ve probably noticed websites starting with https:// instead of http://. The “S” stands for security. It means information exchanged between you and the website is encrypted.
For example, on a website like Yahoo Mail (which you used back in the days), HTTPS helps protect your login details from hackers.
Every professional website should have SSL installed.
Mobile Responsiveness – Why Websites Adjust to Your Screen
When you open a website on your phone and it rearranges itself to fit your screen perfectly, that is called responsive design.
It works through:
- CSS media queries
- Flexible layouts
- Viewport settings
Even the websites I build today automatically adjust for phone, tablet, and desktop viewers.
Why Understanding How Websites Work Helps You as a Beginner
Knowing how websites work gives you full control. You won’t fall into the same mistakes I made in my early days when I depended on someone who collected money, delivered poor work, and forced me to shut down taculiatv.com.
Today, I build professionally because I understand both the visible and invisible parts of a website.
And with this knowledge, you can do the same.
Final Thoughts
Websites might look complicated from the outside, but under the hood, they follow simple principles. A domain, hosting, website files, and a browser all work together to create the online experiences we enjoy daily.
Once you understand these components, creating and managing your own website becomes far easier. And with tools like WordPress, you can literally control everything even from your phone.
This is the knowledge I wish I had when I started in 2019. But today you have it, and you can use it to build something powerful online.