.avif)
What does frontend mean: A guide to understanding wesbites
In last weeks guide I went over what a backend is. In short it is the part of your website that holds all the content as well as domain settings and server settings, it is essential for you to get your website working correctly.
This week I want to go over what 'frontend' means, what it does and how it does it.
What is the frontend?
The frontend of a website is the bit you see when you visit someone's website, usually it contains
- a navigation bar
- content (text and images)
- a footer
Everything on the frontend should be laid out in a nice to read and interact with. This is where User experience (UX) and User interface (UI) design come into play. These help users to navigate through your website and achieve their goal(s).
How does the frontend work?
The frontend connects to the backend to fetch content. You can think of it like a phone call:
- The backend holds the information.
- The frontend asks for that information.
- Then, the frontend decides how to display it.
This process happens behind the scenes every time someone loads a page.
What is the purpose of the frontend?
The purpose of any website is to 1. help their users find what they need and 2. Convert those users into customers.
That second part is where Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) comes in. CRO involves improving your site’s design and structure to increase conversions.
A conversion might be:
- Getting the user to sign up for an account.
- Selling a product.
- Getting the user to sign up to a newsletter.
- Getting the user to go to a 3rd party site.
- Even just helping them understand a topic better (though this one is harder to track)
Whatever the goal, a good rule of thumb is: keep it simple.
Summary
The frontend is the part of your website that users see and use. It's your chance to make a strong impression, guide users, and increase conversions. With the right layout and design, your frontend can turn visitors into customers—and help your business grow.