There is a widespread confusion among lots of new website designer concerning the home page.

If you get any book, any course, or ask most web page designer how to build a website, they will advise you to build your home page first.

It is a good idea, and most website designers start with creating a home page first. The problem is, some web designer think if they deleted the home page, the whole website is gone.

So, what they do is deleting all directories and sub-directories and the files within, and they start building the website from the ground up.

This is lots of work, and it is not needed. The solution is very simple. You can delete, or edit the home page without affecting the rest of the structure of your website.

As a matter of fact, your website stays intact with one difference only. The only difference is, when you type the URL of the website, you will be presented with a list of links to the files in the home directory, and sub-directories of the website.

The home directory of the website is /www folder where the home page (index.html) resides with other files, that can be accessed when you type the URL with the file name appended to the URL.

For example, suppose you have a website with the following pages: index.html ( home page), contact.html, about.html, and privcy.html. If you delete index.html by mistake or for any other reason, you will be left with the three above files in the home directory (/www).

So, if someone types your URL, instead of the home page, the website will display the list of the three above files. With each file, you will find its size, date created or modified, type , and other properties.

In other cases, where you have more than few pages on your website, the whole structure of your website will be displayed. That is all directories, sub-directories.

Now depending on the permission on each directory, some you can access, others you can not.

In summary, if you are in the process of editing your home page for any reason, and it was inaccessible for a short period of time,it is not a problem. Your website directories and files are still there.

However, as long as your home page is not present, your visitors can see the structure of your website. So, may sure have a directory on your website with permission set so that no one except you have access to it. This where you hide files you don't want others to see.