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Webdesign is the skill of creating presentations of content that is delivered to an end-user through the Web browser.

The intent of webdesign is to create a website collection of electronic documents and applications that reside on a webserver and present content and interactive features to the end user in form of Webpages. Such elements as bit-mapped images (GIFs, JPEGs), text and forms can be placed on the page using X(H)TML/XML tags. Displaying more complex media (vector graphics, sounds, videos, animations) requires plug-ins such as Flash, QuickTime, Java run-time environment, etc. Plug-ins are also embedded into web page by using (X)HTML tags.

Improvements in browsers compliance with W3C standards prompted a widespread acceptance and usage of (X)HTML/XML in conjunction with CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) to position and manipulate webpage elements and objects. Latest standards and proposals aim at leading to browsers ability to deliver a wide variety of content and accessibility options to the client possibly without employing plug-ins.

Typically web pages are classified as dynamic or static:

* Dynamic pages adapt their content and/or appearance depending on end-user's input/interaction or changes in the computing environment (user, time, database modifications, etc.) Content can be changed on the client side (end-user's computer) by using client-side scripting languages (JavaScript, JScript, Actionscript, etc.) to alter DOM elements (DHTML). Dynamic content is often compiled on the server utilizing server-side scripting languages (Perl, PHP, ASP, JSP, ColdFusion, etc.). Both approaches are usually used in complex applications.
* Static pages don't change content and layout with every request unless a human (web master/programmer) manually updates the page. A simple HTML page is an example of static content.

With growing specialization in the information technology field there is a strong tendency to draw a line between webdesign and webdevelopment.

Web design is a kind of graphic design intended for development and styling of objects of the Internet's information environment to provide them with high-end consumer features and aesthetic qualities. The offered definition separates web design from web programming, emphasizing the functional features of a web site, as well as positioning web design as a kind of graphic design.

The process of designing webpages, web applications, websites or multimedia for the Web may utilize multiple disciplines, such as authoring, animation, corporate identity, graphic design, communication design, human-computer interaction, interaction design, information architecture, marketing, photography, SEO etc.

* Style sheet languages (such as CSS and XSL)
* Markup languages (such as HTML, XHTML and XML)
* Server-side scripting (such as PHP and ASP)
* Client-side scripting (such as JavaScript)
* Multimedia technologies (such as Flash and Silverlight)
* Database technologies (such as MySQL and PostgreSQL)

Webpages and websites can be static pages or dynamic pages (PHP, ASP, JSP, Ruby on Rails) that automatically adapt content or visual appearance depending on a variety of factors, such as input from the end-user, input from the Webmaster or changes in the computing environment.

With growing specialization within communication design and information technology fields, there is a strong tendency to draw a clear line between web design specifically for web pages and web development for the overall logistics of all web-based services.

Web design is similar to traditional print publishing. Every website is an information display container, just as a book is a container; and every web page is like the page in a book. However, web design uses a framework based on digital code and display technology to construct and maintain an environment to distribute information in multiple formats. Taken to its fullest potential, web design is undoubtedly the most sophisticated and increasingly complex method to support communication in today's world.

For the typical web sites, the basic aspects of design are:
* The usability: the site should be user-friendly, with the interface and navigation simple and reliable.
* The content: the substance, and information on the site should be relevant to the site and should target the area of the public that the website is concerned with.
* The visibility: the site must also be easy to find via most, if not all, major search engines and advertisement media.
* The appearance: the graphics and text should include a single style that flows throughout, to show consistency. The style should be professional, appealing and relevant.

Once a website is completed, it must be published or uploaded in order to be viewable to the public in the browser (Firefox, Internet Explorer, etc..) over the internet. This may be done using an FTP client. Once published, the web master can use a variety of techniques to increase the traffic or hits. This may include submitting the website to a search engine such as Google, Yahoo or Bing, exchanging links with other web sites, creating affiliations with similar web sites, etc.

A website typically consists of text and images. The first page of a website is known as the Homepage or Index. Some websites use what is commonly called a Splash Page. Splash pages might include a welcome message, language or region selection, or disclaimer. Each web page within a web site is an HTML file which has its own URL. After each web page is created, they are typically linked together using a navigation menu composed of hyperlinks. Faster browsing speeds have led to shorter attention spans and more demanding online visitors and this has resulted in less use of Splash Pages, particularly where commercial web sites are concerned.