How many websites are there on the internet?

The internet is an ever-expanding virtual universe. With every passing second, millions of users around the world are communicating, sharing and creating content on an amazing number of websites. But have you ever wondered how many websites there actually are?

The internet has come a long way since the days of ARPANET and the first website ever created. Today, we rely on it for everything from communications and entertainment to education and commerce. This insatiable hunger for connectivity has led to an explosion in the number of websites worldwide.

What is a website?

A website is a collection of related web pages, multimedia content, and other digital assets hosted on a web server and accessible over the Internet. It’s like a virtual book, where each web page is a separate page within that book.

Websites have unique addresses called URLs that help users find and visit them. These websites are stored on computers called web servers, which send the content to a web browser (such as Chrome or Firefox) when someone requests it. Websites often have a specific purpose, such as providing information, entertainment, or a platform for communication, and can be created using a variety of web technologies.

Active vs Inactive Websites

The distinction between active and inactive websites provides more insight into the true size and scope of the online landscape. So when you consider how big the internet actually is, also consider how many of those websites are just sitting idly by.

Active websites are websites that are regularly updated and maintained by their owners or administrators. These can be blogs, news sites, online stores, social media platforms, educational resources, and more. Active websites often see frequent user engagement, such as visits, clicks, comments, and shares. They also tend to rank higher in search engine results due to their updated content, better SEO, and regular user activity.

Inactive websites are websites that have not been updated or maintained for an extended period of time. These websites may contain outdated or irrelevant content, broken links, or limited user interaction. In some cases, the owner of the website has left the site or the domain registration has expired, preventing you from even accessing the website. Inactive websites can also have parked domains, which is like buying a piece of land and doing nothing with it.

When thinking about the total number of websites on the internet, think of the number of active websites as a more meaningful metric. Active websites give a better picture of the current state of the internet and its dynamic landscape. Inactive websites add to the total number, but are usually not relevant or useful to users.

The challenges of accurately counting websites

Accurately counting the number of websites presents several challenges due to the speed at which the Internet naturally changes. One of the many difficulties lies in defining what a website is to begin with. Are subdomains considered websites? What about single page sites? What are the criteria?

Another challenge is the constant influx of websites being created and deleted. New websites are launched every day while others go dormant, go down or their domain registration expires. This constant churn makes it difficult to maintain an up-to-date number of websites at any given time.

To make things even more complicated, you also have to consider the presence of the deep web and the dark web. The deep web consists of content that is not indexed by standard search engines, such as private databases and intranets. The dark web, part of the deep web, includes websites and content that require specific software or authorization. These hidden parts of the internet make it challenging to account for all existing websites.

The prevalence of parked domains and inactive websites also complicates website counting. Distinguishing between active and inactive websites and determining their relevance to the overall website is not easy.

Given these challenges, the total number of websites on the Internet can only be estimated, and these estimates are subject to constant change.

So, how many websites are there?

The number of websites on the internet is constantly changing as new websites are created and old ones become inactive. The best we can do is guess, and that number can change in the blink of an eye.

Most publications attempting to answer this question cite Siteefy as an authoritative source. According to Siteefy, there are 1.13 billion websites on the internet, of which 18% are active. That means there are about 200 million active websites at the time of writing.

However, keep in mind that if we had an exact number of websites on the web as we write this piece, that number would be wrong by the time it is published. It is estimated that 10,500 new websites are created every hour and there is no telling how many will become inactive.

The digital landscape is constantly changing.