14 Different Types of Websites to Create
Most Common Types of Websites Today - Can be Created
The internet is a vast and ever changing arena. There are billions of websites online.
All competing for some share of the attention potential customers give to their online browsing each day.
When you are starting a new website – it can be overwhelming to think about all the other websites out there.
But it is helpful to remember that within that huge number of websites – you will have a lot of different types of websites trying to accomplish different things.
As you are considering how best to build your own website – carefully consider what type of website you want to create.
When you can set up and narrow down your goals in mind you will easily identify the other websites in your category for inspiration.
Below are some of the most popular types of websites you will see around the internet. There may be some overlaps between the different categories.
However in general each type of website has certain goals to achieve and its own set of best practices.
Which one will you choose to create for your website? This is in no particular order and all of them are important in their own way.
Further Reading: Choosing the Right Domain Name
1. E-commerce Website
An E-commerce website is a website where customers can directly buy your products from. You may have used a number of e-commerce websites previously some big brands and plenty of smaller ones.
Any website that includes a shopping cart and a way for you to provide credit card information to make a purchase falls into this category. Great examples would be eBay. Amazon, Ali Express and more.
If you are setting up a website for your business and plan to sell your products through the website then this is the type of website you need to build.
There are a few specific steps you must include when building an e-commerce website – like investing in e-commerce software and getting your SSL certificate to ensure your customers can pay securely.
And you will must ensure your web design and copy are all crafted with the site’s main goal in mind- making sales / profits or leads.
E-commerce websites can be an extension of your existing business or become something when you build a new business.
Further Reading: Build an E-commerce Website
If you think about your internet browsing habits – I am sure you can think of a few websites that you visit purely for entertainment purposes.
They could be humour websites like Engrish.com, webcomics like Webtoons or Tapas or just websites with fun or interesting content like Buzzfeed.
Most of these websites aim to make money like businesses and E-commerce websites do but usually through the advertisements that show up on the page rather than through selling specific products or services.
If you want to start an entertainment website you have plenty of format options that you can choose.
You could make funny or informative videos, write entertaining blog posts, draw comics or create fun quizzes.
Since there are so many entertainment websites out there. You must anticipate that it will take time and work to find a target market that will connect with you.
And even more time and work to start making money if that is your ultimate goal.
But if you have got ideas for content to create that you think people will find entertaining then an entertainment website is one of the best ways to get that content out into the world.
Further Reading: Create Your Own Top Level Domain (TLD)
A business website is any website that is devoted to representing a specific business.
It should be branded like the business and communicate the types of products or services the business offers with the same logo and positioning.
Every business should have a website. It is a widespread expectation. Every potential customer you encounter will assume that if they Google your business looking for more information they will find a website.
And if they do not then this makes the business look less professional or legitimate.
E-commerce websites are business websites however it is also possible to have business websites that do not sell anything directly to customers.
These businesses encourage customers to get in contact for more information (a lead generation website) or come to a storefront if they are interested in becoming customers.
Media websites collects and distribute news, stories and other reporting.
There may be some overlap with entertainment websites but media websites are more likely to include reported pieces of content meant purely for entertainment.
This category includes sites like the BBC News, The Independent, The Financial Times and more.
Media websites generally make money through either advertisement that show up on the site, subscription models or some combination of the two.
Many media websites are the online branch of media properties that already exist in other forms like TV channels, print magazines or newspapers but some are online only.
Further Reading: Improve Online Copywriting on Your Website
Portfolio websites are sites devoted to showcasing your work expanding from landscape photographers to fashion models to properties and more.
Having an online portfolio website these days can show off your talents to potential employers / customers.
Service providers who want to show potential customers the quality of their work can use a portfolio website to showcase some of the best samples of completed past works.
This type of website is simpler to build and more focused on a particular task – collecting work samples or showcasing the work.
Commonly used by creative professionals and freelancers that are hired based on demonstrated skill and can be a more efficient alternative to a business website that serves a similar focus.
This may also be used by property agents, letting agents and property owners who want to show case their properties to potential customers or tenants.
If your business does not require online payments then an online catalogue or brochure will enable you to display what you have to offer and attract potential customers.
Spreading the word about a business used to be limited to television, paper based printing or radios however a website gives a much wider reach.
Online brochures are a great idea for dental surgeries, hair dressers, holiday destinations and manufacturers.
Further Reading: Online Marketing Strategies for Small Business
Brochure websites are a simplified form of business websites.
This is suitable for businesses who need an online presence but do not want to invest a lot into it.
These businesses are confident they will continue to get most of your business from other sources.
A simple brochure site that includes just a few pages that lay out the basics of what they do and provide contact information that may be enough for them.
Brochure sites were more common in the earlier days of the internet when businesses knew they needed a website but also expected not to be dependent on it for success.
Now the internet is such a big part of how people research and find any product or services they need. Most businesses recognise that they need something more competitive.
A brochure website may be suitable for you if you have a business that does not need your website to be a marketing tool.
Further Reading: Create Engaging Content for Social Media
Information websites are particularly helpful. People no longer have to visit libraries and take out books for basic information.
Any question that comes into someone’s mind nowadays is often swiftly followed up with a quick search on Google to find their answer.
A great deal can be learned online and many people are now researching and self-teaching with online tutorials, how-to and tips from such websites. Example includes – The NHS for medical information.
9. Non-profit Website
Just like businesses websites a non-profit organisation need to have an online presence to do the same.
A non-profit website is the easiest way for many potential donors to make donations.
This would be the first place where donors look to learn more about a non-profit organisation and determine if they want to support it.
If you have or are considering starting a non-profit organisation then building a website is a crucial step in proving your legitimacy and reaching more potential customers.
You can use it to promote the projects your organisation faces, encourage followers to take action, show what you are doing and for accepting donations.
To take donations through the website you will needs to take the same steps that the owners of e-commerce websites do.
In particular, making sure you get an SSL certificate to ensure all payments are secure and setting up a merchant account so that you can accept credit card payments.
Further Reading: Better Results From Your Call To Action
10. Personal Website
Not all websites exist to make money in some way or another. Many potential customers find value in creating personal websites to put their own thoughts out into the world.
This category includes personal blogs, vlogs and photo diaries people share with the world.
Sometimes these websites can evolve into something that makes money if they become popular enough.
The person who started them wants to make that shift but they primarily exist as a way to share your feelings, insights and art with any friends and strangers that might be interested.
Building a personal website is easier than most of the other websites since the goal has lower stakes.
You just want to make it look like you want rather than worrying about driving sales or making ad money.
Some simple templates or an easy-to-use website builder should be all it takes to get something up that satisfies your desire to share.
11. Bio Website
Authors and writers have their own websites which include their biography, a catalogue of their works with reviews and comments.
There may as well be links to their social media, blog and places their publications are being sold online.
This is especially useful in the world of publishing and establishment of a fan base.
Further Reading: Why You Need a Mobile Friendly Website
12. Web Portal
Web portals are often websites designed for internal purposes of a business, organisation or institution.
They collect information in different formats from different sources into one place to make all relevant information accessible to the people who need to see it.
They often involve a login and personalised views for different users that ensure the information that is accessible is most useful to their particular needs.
Web portals will generally involve more complicated programming and design than most of the other websites described on this list. This will a choice for skilled and experienced web programmers to consider.
13. Infopreneur Website
Infopreneur websites overlap a bit with business and E-commerce websites but they represent a unique type of online business. Infopreneurs create and sell information products.
That could be in the form of courses, tutorials, coaching, mentoring, videos or e-books.
Whatever form it takes, infopreneurs need their website to do the hard work of collecting, building up and convincing customers that their educational products are worth buying.
To sell information products securely they will need some of the same tools of an E-commerce website, including an SSL certificate and a merchant account.
Those with a lot of knowledge products should also invest in e-commerce software to make it easier for visitors to select and purchase the ones they are interested in.
Infopreneurs usually create a mix of valuable free content and premium content that they charge.
The infopreneur’s website serves as the central location for both contents. The free content serves as a marketing tool to get people onto the site and the paid products that account for their profits.
Building a good website is therefore crucial for this type of business model.
Further Reading: Fix Common Website Design Mistakes
14. Wiki or Community Forum Website
Most people are familiar with wikis through the most famous example out there:- Wikipedia. But wikis can be created on pretty much any subject you can imagine.
A wiki is any website where various users are able to collaborate on content and all make their own tweaks and changes as they see fit.
There are wikis for fan communities – for business resources and for collecting valuable information sources.
Starting a wiki can be fairly simple especially if you choose to use an existing software or wiki site builder rather than trying to create the website from scratch.
This option makes the most sense if you need to organise available information and resources into a central space that you want others to have access to.
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Wrapping Up
Whatever type of website you choose to create? It is important to think through what you want from it and make sure you design it based on the particular goals you have in mind.
Different types of websites will have different types of content, layout, navigation, design and more.
And one of the first things you will need to figure out before your website goes live is where to host it.
Best- Digital Marketing has a number of affordable web hosting plans that are right for all kinds of types of websites.
For more information, review the options on our website or get in touch with any questions you have. Building a website does require some work but the benefits of having one are usually well worth the effort.
Further Reading: Latest Website Design Trends
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14 Different Types of Websites to Create