Web technology

The World Wide Web, or ‘web’ for short, has proved so successful since it provides a stan­dard method for exchanging and publishing information on the Internet. The main standard document format is HTML (Hypertext Markup Language, Chapter 12), which can be thought of as similar to a word-processing format such as that used for Microsoft Word documents. This standard has been widely adopted since:

• it offers hyperlinks which allow users to move readily from one document or web site to another – the process known as ‘surfing’;
• HTML supports a wide range of formatting, making documents easy to read on different access devices.

It is the combination of web browsers and HTML that has proved so successful in establish­ing widespread business use of the Internet. The use of these tools provides a range of benefits including:

• It is easy to use since navigation between documents is enabled by clicking on hyperlinks or images. This soon becomes a very intuitive way of navigation which is similar across all web sites and applications;
• Interactivity is supported by web forms which enable discussions through social networks and purchase on e-commerce sites;
• It can provide a graphical environment supporting multimedia which is popular with users and gives a visual medium for advertising;
• The standardization of tools and growth in demand means information can be exchanged with many businesses and consumers;
• Flexibility in the style of designs and tailoring them for using on different access devices from desktop computers to wireless devices;
• Browser capabilities are extensible through the use of browser plug-ins, extensions and toolbars which enable users to access standard services.

Browser extensions and toolbars can be useful for site owners to add value through new functionality and encourage continued usage of their services. Think of examples such as the Google Toolbar (http://toolbar.google.com) and the Facebook toolbar for Firefox. Gadgets within Windows Vista (http://vista.gaNery.microsoft.com/) provides similar opportunities.

Web browsers and servers

Web browsers are software such as Microsoft Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox which we use to access the information on the WWW that is stored on web servers.

Web servers are used to store, manage and supply the information on the WWW. The main web browsers are Microsoft Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox with the Apple Safari browser and Google Chrome having relatively small market share. Browsers display the text and graphics accessed from web sites and provide the interactions.

Figure 3.7 indicates the process by which web browsers communicate with web servers. A request from the client PC is executed when the user types in a web address, clicks on a hyperlink or fills in an online form such as a search. This request is then sent to the ISP and routed across the Internet to the destination server using the mechanism described in the section on protocols in networking standards, below. The server then returns the requested web page if it is a static (fixed) web page, or, if it requires reference to a database, such as a request for product information, it will pass the query on to a database server and will then return this to the customer as a dynamically created web page.

Dynamic web sites with e-commerce facilities are not created simply using static HTML; instead they are implemented through additional functions defined in a web application framework which use standard programming conventions or application programming interfaces (APIs) in combination with data storage to achieve different tasks such as simply adding a user to a system or rendering the different page elements of a site. They provide standard functions in libraries to make it quicker to develop functionality than starting from lower-level coding. Functions in the web application framework are executed by a web application server which comprises software processes running on the server which accepts and actions requests via the principal web server software (e.g. Apache or Microsoft Infor­mation Server). We give examples of different web application frameworks and servers in Chapter 12.

Information on each page request is stored in a transaction log file or web analytics system which records the page requested, potential errors and the time it was made and the source of the referral or originating site. The data collection method has significant manage- ment implications since it enables analysis of the performance of e-business systems. This information can be analysed to assess the success of the web site, as explained in Chapter 12 (p. 711). The box on transaction log files gives some background information on transaction log files and the type of information they contain that managers of a site can act on if they have the correct processes in place.

Inside transaction log files – why hits stands for ‘how idiots track success’

Figure 3.8 shows the detail recorded within a transaction log file. This shows the level of work that web servers have to do. This server extract is from DaveChaffey.com which uses the open-source Apache server to serve content. This example shows 10 requests received over a period of 5 seconds. Each line represents a GET request from a web browser for a file on the server. For each page, there are multiple lines or hits since each image or an embedded reference to a script or stylesheet in the page is downloaded separately. In Chapter 12 we show how hits should not be used as a measure for success since it is more useful to know the number of unique visitors and page views – the number of pages they access. So now if you hear site owners talking about ‘hits’ to their site they are looking to inflate the numbers or they don’t understand the technology!

Transaction logs also contain information on errors which should be assessed to determine problems with a service. The most important status codes are summarized in the box on transaction log files (Box 3.2).

The main management implication for changes in browser usage is ensuring sites have appropriate browser compatibility. An example of a tool for designers to test compatibility is shown in Figure 3.9. We discuss this issue further in Chapter 11 in the context of web design.

Source: Dave Chaffey (2010), E-Business and E-Commerce Management: Strategy, Implementation and Practice, Prentice Hall (4th Edition).