An introduction to websites
Nowadays, the generation of business opportunities, as well as the operations of a company, mostly take place via a company website. Websites are a term that came into existence after the invention and widespread usage of internet facilities across the world. Looking back, information sharing was still a pipe dream, that is, until computer scientists, Vinton Cerf and Bob Kahn, came up with the transmission protocols that form the base of today's internet communications. The internet rose to popularity when it was opened for public use.
In the middle of 1991, World Wide Web services opened for the first time for citizens across the globe to use. We can thank the modern era of digitalization for cementing its wide usage and development. Following this period, websites came into existence and the top companies of the day began to establish their own websites to showcase their products and attract customers. Although the concept of e-commerce was established in 1979 by Michael Aldrich, a British inventor, its modern-day popularity came with the use of the internet to function with it.
In fact, it could be said that present-day e-commerce services came into existence due to the availability and accessibility of internet services across the world. With the introductory concepts of digitalization and modernization in electronics and technology, websites have retained their current design and operation. Furthermore, we could say that the advancements in telecommunication have paved the way for the widespread use of the internet and websites across the world. As the world took a turn toward the twenty-first century, internet services became an essential part of living, and they are now considered the modernized inventions of the century. Additionally, if you look back in history, the internet has paved the way for various inventions in fields that have helped human lives, and brought in advanced technologies and functioning to this world.
In a nutshell, the internet, and its associated services, can be called the invention of the century. Now, let's return to websites: With internet services being established, people discovered the widespread usage and capabilities of websites. While previously derived as a medium to share information, it was now considered as a method of communication, information exchange, and data gathering. Today, websites are used for multiple purposes such as education, business, communication, social networking, and more. Additionally, information from websites helps us with our daily tasks of decision making, information gathering, and communications.
As websites started to indulge in each person's life around the world, the usability and the need for them began to grow. Business establishments took advantage of the widespread use of the technology and began to develop their own websites. This served them well since these websites acted as a medium to showcase their products and services to the world. Additionally, as this mode of communication and company exposure was cheap and economical, it cemented the marketing strategies of these companies. Nowadays, websites and digital marketing have widespread capabilities that impact human lives. Since the majority of companies run most of their business operations through websites, designers and developers are striving to make them attractive, informative, and provide end users with a sense of satisfaction.
In this digital era that we live in, every company and institution should have a website for its operations. We can class this as an inevitable change because rather than simply being a business platform, it can be used as an informative tool and marketing platform for companies. In addition, if you are in the starting stages of your establishment, a website will be a helpful tool. Additionally, with the right design and proper descriptive content, you can drive visitors to your company website and therefore, improve your business opportunities.
Another aspect to consider is the manageability of these websites in a real-time environment. While dealing with website-based terminologies, business operations could get trickier and unmanageable without proper tools and operational methodologies being implemented. In addition, if a firm functions with a retail environment, wholesale warehouse operations that also manage website operations would need a clear-cut plan and certain operational systems in place to manage and control every operation. If you consider a website operation, you would need to design and develop it, function with it, manage the operations including in-house operations, provide attractive content and designs, track visitors, and garner business opportunities. These are the concerns to bear in mind while dealing with website operations. And the answer to these concerns is Odoo. Odoo is an Enterprise and Resource Planning (ERP) software that has been developed to run company operations. Odoo houses a website builder tool that is the ultimate solution to all of the preceding concerns. We will cover this in more detail in the final section of this chapter. However, before that, let's acquaint ourselves with what Odoo is.