Most Common Types of Websites Explain their Functionalities and Purpose
In previous times, websites used to be plain text and maybe some images, and their only purpose was to access the internet. However, that has changed, and with the internet being more advanced than before, websites are of different kinds and have specific functionalities. How you design them is what work they do, and to help you with that, here are the ten most common types of websites.
E-Commerce Websites
The E-Commerce site is the first one among our most common types of websites. It is where a seller can put things for sale, and buyers can view and buy them. It is an online store.
Some features of e-commerce websites include online payment, reviews, view cart, reporting tools, discount code tools, etc. Also, an e-commerce site doesn’t strictly need to be somewhere only the site owner can sell their products. Some might allow users to upload and sell their things.
Ecommerce websites need to be very secure. As you can see, buyers need to upload their payment information, and in such cases, if hackers intercept the data, it can cause serious problems. Thus, they need to install something called an SSL certificate.
Examples of Ecommerce websites include Amazon, eBay, etc.
Blog
The concept of blogging started in 1996, when an American student (he is a journalist now) Justing Hall, opened a website called Links.net. On that website, he offered guided tours of the internet.
The word blog itself was introduced to the dictionary in 1999, and the oxford dictionary terms it as a website or web page run by an individual or a small group that has an informal or conversational way of writing.
A blog consists of informatory articles, which can be of any subject. Like said in the definition, they don’t need to be formal. Nor knowledgeable; the concept of a blog is to let the owner write anything they want and share it with others.
A blog website is the easiest to design and create and takes minimal resources. Of course, it depends on how much content you plan to upload, including multimedia (images and videos).
Magazine Websites
Some people get confused between blogs and magazine websites. The thing is that blogs can be totally informal, but magazine sites might sometimes need to be formal depending on the subject matter.
Also, magazine sites are like real magazines on the internet; they tend to be on a specific niche. The articles need to be informational, and other users apart from the owner can submit and upload their own content.
Examples of magazine websites would be sites like Wired, W magazine, Wedding Style, etc. The design of magazine sites should be like blogs, attractive and simple, but as they need to feature more content, they need a better hosting plan.
News Websites
New websites are online newspapers. They are news portals that update regularly and serve the happenings to the people as fast as they can reach to the people.
News websites can also contain the scanning of the most recent physical newspapers served by the company running it. Furthermore, they can be general, or serve a specific niche, for example, BBC offers every kind of news, while ESPNcricinfo is an online sports news website dedicated to cricket.
Sometimes, entertainment websites can also be called news websites. Well, the concept is the same after all, giving people information quickly, so we can cover entertainment sites on this category in the list of the most common types of websites.
Portfolio Websites
Portfolio sites are another one of the most common types of websites. They consist of professional profile and work records of individuals or companies. They are mostly used by online freelancers to mention their previous work, qualifications, and experience so that their potential clients can look at those and hire them.
Portfolio websites consist of a CV, previous work records, testimonials, and such. Also, they need to have the ‘About Me’ section that will give your clients a better idea of who you are, your expertise, working methods, and your overall compatibility.
You need to make a very professional portfolio website that stands out from the others. In some cases, some people can embed blogs into portfolio sites.
Business/ Corporate Website
The website that you are reading this article right now is a corporate website. It consists of all the information about a company such as about who they are, what they do, and their services.
A business website is an ‘online office.’ It is for prospects, clients, potential partners, etc. to know about the company. In many cases, the business site is the first impression that someone gets about the company, so it should be professionally made and should have information that provides actual value to the visitor.
Depending on the nature of the business, a corporate site can also have another kind of website within it. For example, a company making shoes can include an e-commerce page on their business site from where the visitors can buy their footwear.
Social Media Sites
Facebook and Twitter are classic examples of social media sites. They are online platforms where people can build social relationships with others.
Social Media websites let people share their opinions, feelings, and communicate with each other, just like in the real world. Society. They aim to emulate the real world on a website such that communication between any two parties is as simple as it can be.
When they started, social media was only for people to communicate and to share their lives with people they know. These days, they have more purposes like meeting new people, promoting material and content, conducting business, etc.
Online Community Websites
Online communities, sometimes called forums, are internet societies of like-minded people where they can share their ideas, opinions, and knowledge. They are different from social media sites in the sense that they offer fewer features, and are mostly for people in a specific niche.
Some online community websites can have various sub-communities, letting people from different backgrounds join the ones that they are interested in—for example, Reddit.
Community websites can be both commercial and non-commercial. Users may need to purchase a membership to access some or all the content in them. In some cases, people engaging in the community donate to the owner/ developer to keep the website running.
Landing Page
A Landing page isn’t exactly a type of website, but you should be clear of the concept.
A Landing page is a page that you wish a potential client opens when they click on your ad listing. It is a standalone page created for marketing or advertising. The only purpose of a landing page is a Call to Action, telling people in the best possible words about your company or services, and why they need to buy from or partner with you.
A landing page directly tells your potential customers about your business. It should consist of engaging and compelling content that relates to your business and also tell why it is the best. On top of that, they should consist of easy navigation bars, offers, etc.
You need to put a lot of work into the design of a landing page.
Crowdfunding Websites
The last one on the list of the ten most common types of websites is a crowdfunding website.
A crowdfunding website is just like its name suggests. A person or a party needing any financial help can present their idea or situation, and others can look at the case and help with funds.
Crowdfunding can be both investment, or for a cause (charity). Some of the most popular crowdfunding sites are Kickstarter and Crowdcube.
Have any inquiries regarding the most common types of websites? You can also contact us directly if you need any kind of website support in Singapore.
