When the types of websites are numerous in a significant way, how do you choose the right way to create a website on the internet?
Do you need to use a specific platform to create a website? If so, which one? Do you need to learn programming? Do you have to pay a web designer to design a website for you? Not only that, but you also need to consider the marketing strategies for this website that need to be implemented to start a successful business.
If you are not careful, you may very well waste time and money by creating the wrong type of website. Fortunately, creating a website doesn’t have to be complex or expensive. In this article, we will introduce you to the best ways to design a professional website.
A well-functioning and complete website is an integral part of any successful company’s equipment, but how do you choose the right type of website? It is clear that there is no single answer to this question; it depends on what you intend to do with this website. Do you want to create a website to offer an online course? Or perhaps to make a name for yourself as a photographer? Or are you working on designing a website to sell jewelry or create a blog? The type of website you need changes significantly according to your needs.
Whether you decide to create your own website or hire a service provider, you need to think in advance about the type of website you need. However, this strategic decision is entirely up to you. We come to help you by presenting seven types of websites for comparison.
What are the types of websites? The top 7 types of websites
About 380 new websites are launched on the web every minute. It’s good to keep in mind that not all of them fall into the categories we offer, mainly because these can’t always be clearly distinguished from each other. However, this overview can be useful for understanding the main aspects that distinguish websites from each other, and among the most important types of websites are:
E-commerce websites: Enable users to buy and sell online, such as Amazon and eBay.
Social media websites: Enable users to communicate and exchange content, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Blogs and news websites: Provide specialized content in certain fields, such as Blogger, WordPress, and CNN.
Online education websites: Provide educational resources and training courses, such as Coursera and Udemy.
Government websites: Provide government information and services such as tax filing and residency applications.
Entertainment websites: Provide entertainment content such as YouTube, Netflix, and Spotify.
Search and engine websites: Provide online search services such as Google and Bing.
Travel and booking websites: Enable users to book tickets, hotels, and cars online, such as booking.com and expedia.com.
1_ E-commerce websites: These websites, such as Amazon and eBay, are online platforms that enable users to buy and sell products and services. These sites provide an easy-to-use interface and offer a wide variety of products, making the shopping process easier and more convenient.
2_ Social media websites: These platforms enable users to communicate and interact with others online, including sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Users can share content, add friends, create groups, and express themselves freely.
3_ Blogs and news websites: These sites offer specialized content in specific fields such as news, reports, and investigative articles. They provide reliable sources of information and help users stay updated on the latest developments in various fields.
4_ Online education websites: These platforms offer educational courses and training on a variety of topics and skills, allowing individuals to develop their skills and learn new things in their spare time.
5_ Government websites: These websites provide information about government services, laws, regulations, and procedures. They also allow users to submit requests and forms online conveniently and efficiently.
6_ Entertainment websites: Sites like YouTube and Netflix offer a diverse range of entertainment content, including movies, series, and entertainment videos. These websites allow users to access entertainment content anytime and anywhere.
7_ Search engines: These websites provide online search services, such as Google and Bing, helping users find information and websites they are looking for quickly and easily.
8_ Travel and booking websites: These websites facilitate the process of booking tickets, hotels, and flights online, saving time and effort for users and allowing them to plan their trips smoothly and easily.
- Company Website
Suitable for: Companies, agencies, freelancers
Purpose: Presenting your company and providing contact opportunities
The classic company website aligns with what is generally associated with websites: it is a collection of several pages with the primary goal of providing information.
A company website serves as the digital business card of the company: it showcases its services, team, and provides contact opportunities. However, websites can also incorporate dynamic elements, such as a news section or blog area, which need regular content updates. Comprehensive websites often integrate other types of websites, such as landing pages or microsites, allowing companies to pursue various goals through their online presence.
To make their brand or website known to their target audience, companies must implement additional measures such as search engine marketing.
- Portfolio Website
Suitable for: Artists and creatives
Purpose: Visual presentation of your work
Portfolio websites are optimized to showcase visual work in an attractive manner. This type of website is ideal for designers, photographers, or artists.
Portfolio website themes feature sleek, often minimalist designs that primarily focus on the graphical elements of an individual’s work, unlike corporate websites, where text content is usually predominant.
Creating a portfolio website can be easily done by a professional design company like Easy Pro Code, offering a wide range of themes and customizable website types. The only technical challenge lies in hosting; you need to choose a hosting provider specialized in hosting your website and supporting easy theme installation.
When creating a portfolio website, it’s essential to carefully select and present only your best work. A simple portfolio with a few high-quality pieces is preferable to a cluttered one, which might overshadow your best work.
- Blog/Newspaper Website
Suitable for: Bloggers, companies, journalists, influencers
Purpose: Regular publication of informative or entertaining content
The design of a blog or online newspaper website focuses on editorial content. Do you want to regularly publish news or plan for an online local newspaper? While blogs sometimes welcome readers on a static website, online magazine homepages usually resemble classic print magazines, showcasing the latest content directly.
For a blog or online magazine, having regularly updated and published content is crucial, which should also reflect in the website’s design. Sometimes, products and services are also featured.
A practical example of a good blog or magazine website is My Lady Mag.
However, maintaining a functional blog requires significant time commitment. Consider whether you can manage your blog or online magazine yourself or if it’s better to find a team of writers, which can be provided by Easy Pro Code. If you aim to make your blog a trusted source of information and attract readers, you should publish articles frequently and at regular intervals.
If you need technical assistance in setting up your blog, you can contact us now from here (INSERT LINK).
- Mini-Site
Suitable for: Companies
Purpose: Providing informational or entertaining content related to a specific topic or product
The mini-site is the little sibling of the company website: the focus is on media content, but unlike the company website, a mini-site design is limited to a few subpages or even just a single main page. Mini-sites typically highlight a new tangible product or a clearly defined topic.
Mini-sites often feature unconventional designs that highlight a product or topic, relying on interactive capabilities, animations, and diverse media to create an engaging user experience. An excellent example executed with great attention to detail is Adobe’s mini-site for testing “Creative Type,” where users can explore “Creative Type.”
- Landing Page
Suitable for: Companies, individuals for personal branding
Purpose: Acquiring customers or sales
Landing pages are single-page design websites and are a type of electronic websites. They inform the visitor about a specific product with the aim of encouraging them to take a particular action. Landing pages typically have a clear advertising nature. Sub-pages are not used; instead, landing pages resemble detailed sales pitches, which can be enriched with videos and graphics.
Ideally, the user consumes the entire content of the page until convinced and motivated to make a purchase, pay for the promoted physical or digital product, or enter their email address.
Landing pages are usually designed as part of online marketing campaigns: users click on an advertisement on Google or a social network and are redirected to the landing page. You can find all the information about the success factors to consider when creating a landing page in our guide on how to create the perfect landing page.
- E-commerce Websites
Suitable for: Companies
Purpose: Selling digital or physical products
While landing pages are good for selling individual products, anyone wanting to sell more than one product should use e-commerce.
Specialized e-commerce websites display products and their features clearly and simply. Navigation menus help users quickly find what they are looking for. If desired, you can add content such as a blog or columns to recommend products and attract visitors from Google, but the primary focus remains on the products displayed.
Whether it’s Zalando or Amazon, large online stores always follow a similar, established structure to facilitate the purchasing process for visitors and browsers of these sites and also to display products in a simple and distinctive way.
Implementing e-commerce technically poses a significant challenge as it is necessary to set up the entire ordering and payment process. Small stores can be created by users themselves with the help of tools like IONOS e-commerce packages, while larger stores are advised to consult a specialized agency like Easy Pro Code.
- Web Application Sites
Suitable for: Information technology companies and SaaS companies
Purpose: Providing online application access
Web applications are not websites that advertise a product; they are the product itself, whether for project management, financial management, or accounting for travel expenses. More and more software no longer requires downloads but can be used in the browser as a web application.
Of course, even a web application partly consists of the same pages as a classic company website to provide information about features and pricing. But unlike the classic website, which has a “business card” function, users of the web application can use the advertised tool online immediately after registering.
Trello is one of the best-known project management tools, and its website is designed as a pure web application. Users only need internet access and can access the application from anywhere using a browser. Web applications are a particularly practical solution, especially for remote teams.
