If you have decided to create a website, one thing you will have to do is choose the kind of website you want. Each different kind has its own purpose, features and website design philosophy. Below is an overview some of the most popular varieties you can use to create a website.
Informational
The first kind of website to appear on the internet was the informational website. Informational websites have the simple goal of informing the user about a specific topic. The most popular website in this category is Wikipedia. Informational websites can be either straight forward or designed with more complexity. While text is more common, video, images and audio can also be used to inform.
Ecommerce
Alternatively, ecommerce websites have the goal of making a profit. Most often, this is done through the use of shopping cart software that is used to purchase products that are then mailed to the customer. However, many websites also sell digital only products like music files, video games and apps that are downloaded. The most popular website used to purchase products with shopping cart software is Amazon.com, and it produces revenue of almost $90 billion a year.
Blog
Blog is short for web log. Blogs are made up of “postings” that contain text, video or some other content. Active blogs are updated on a regular basis. In the past, blogs existed mainly as digital journals of the author’s opinions and commentaries. Today, blogs have become much more commercial and are most often used as a means to drive traffic to ecommerce websites via advertisements and links in anchor text.
Social Media
Social media websites have dominated internet use for several years now. The idea behind social media is to allow users to network with others by accruing followers that can see and repost a person’s content. While this sometimes mainly involves simple text as in the case of Twitter, it can also include photographs and video such as with media sharing social media networks like Instagram.
Custom Web Application
Lastly, there are custom web applications. Such a website acts as a software program that loads through a web browser. This is often accomplished through website design that implements cloud computing or software like Adobe Flash. Custom web applications can be used for anything from producing insurance quotes to loading browser based video games.
Source: Generationlabs
