Website Development 101

How Modern Websites Work: From HTML to Headless CMS

Updated July 2025 By On Beat Digital
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What a Website Actually Is (And How It Gets Built)

At its core, a website is just a bunch of files. HTML files tell browsers what to show. CSS files style the content. JavaScript adds interactivity. Then, everything is hosted somewhere—so people around the world can see it by typing in a URL.

The Core Pieces:

HTML

Think of this as the skeleton of your website. It defines the structure: headings, paragraphs, links.

CSS

Adds style—fonts, colors, spacing. This is your site's clothing.

JavaScript

Adds behavior. Dropdowns, animations, form validation, all thanks to JS.

When you build a website, you either:

  • Hand-code it from scratch (HTML/CSS/JS)
  • Use a CMS (like WordPress or AEM)
  • Use a site builder (like Wix or Webflow)
  • Or go headless (more on that below)

CMS 101: WordPress, AEM, and Headless Explained

A CMS (Content Management System) lets you build and manage websites without needing to code every page.

  • Powers 43%+ of all websites
  • Great for blogs, small business sites, portfolios
  • Tons of plugins
  • Requires hosting (usually via Bluehost, Kinsta, etc.)

  • Enterprise-level CMS
  • Used by Fortune 500s and global brands
  • Deep personalization and targeting features
  • Higher learning curve, usually implemented by a dev team

  • Separates content from presentation
  • The backend holds your content, but developers use frontend frameworks (like React) to render it
  • Ideal for modern web apps, SPAs, or when content is reused across platforms (web, app, email)
TL;DR

If you want ease of use, go WordPress. If you're running global campaigns and need control + power, AEM might be your play. Want flexibility and performance? Consider going headless.

JavaScript Frameworks: React, Vue, and the Modern Web Stack

Frameworks like React, Vue, and Svelte make modern websites faster, more interactive, and easier to scale.

React (by Meta)

  • Component-based: Reusable pieces of UI
  • Huge community and ecosystem
  • Often used with Next.js for SEO-friendly server-side rendering

Vue.js

  • Lightweight and progressive
  • Easier learning curve than React
  • Flexible, great for small to mid-sized apps

Other Notables

Angular
Powerful, but complex (used by enterprise apps)
Svelte
Compiles to ultra-light JS bundles—great for speed
More Frameworks
Nuxt, Next.js, Gatsby, and others

These frameworks power everything from social media sites to ecommerce stores to dashboards.

Performance & SEO: Why They Matter Together

Google doesn't just rank based on keywords anymore. Site speed, mobile friendliness, and UX matter—a lot.

Core Web Vitals (CWV)

Google looks at:

  • LCP (Largest Contentful Paint): How fast does your content load?
  • FID (First Input Delay): How fast can users interact?
  • CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift): Does stuff jump around as it loads?

Speed Tips

  • Compress images (WebP > PNG or JPG)
  • Use lazy loading
  • Minimize JS and CSS bundles
  • Use a CDN (Content Delivery Network)

SEO Tips for Developers

  • Use semantic HTML (H1-H6, proper structure)
  • Add meta tags: title, description
  • Schema markup for rich results
  • Make sure pages are indexable (robots.txt, canonical tags)

Final Thoughts

Whether you're coding from scratch or using a CMS like WordPress, understanding how modern websites work gives you an edge.

At On Beat Digital, we help brands go beyond basic websites. From lightning-fast headless builds to full AEM integrations, we build to perform—and rank.

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