When someone tells me, “David, I need a website,” my next question would be, “What kind of website do you need?”

As a professional web designer, I can’t get enough of websites. Whenever I’m having a conversation about website design, my eyes light up! So I love to educate my clients on all things related to website design and the internet. Whether it’s the type of website that suits their business or what digital marketing strategy is perfect for their brand, I can talk about websites for hours.

Before we dive into different kinds of websites, let’s clarify something.

What Is a Website?

Contrary to popular belief, a website is more than just a URL on the internet. It’s the digital version of your office.

Let’s say your office address is Kiewit Plaza, 3555 Farnam Street, Omaha NE 68131, Nebraska, USA. Would a person think of this array of characters when talking about your office? Most likely, they won’t. The same goes for the website URL. It’s just an array of characters used to locate you on the internet.

On the other hand, if you think of your website as a business tool, you’ll work on its planning. The first part of that planning is deciding on what kind of website does your brand need. I’ll help you with that!

Different Types of Websites

A major portion of websites on the internet sells some kind of product or service. However, not every individual or organization has the goal of selling stuff online. For that, you’ll have to select one of the following types of websites:

Personal Website

This type of website is widely used as an online diary or a blog. But it can also serve as your personal brand.

For example, if you are an SEO expert, you can use this site to share the results of your SEO campaigns through blogging. If you want to monetize it, you can run ads, sell SEO guides/courses, or have sponsored posts.

You can find tons of resources online that can help you set up a personal website for free. However, those resources may put their logo or run their ads on your website in return. So it’s better to have paid a domain and a hosting plan.

Search Engine Directories, Yellow Pages, Portals

We all use search engines, most probably, Google, on a daily basis for our queries. Apart from Google, Yahoo, Bing, and Yandex are popular search engine websites. They offer tons of services, including e-mail and information.

Yellow Pages offer listing services for businesses. A lot of them have a search engine inside them to help users find the desired information.

Information Websites

People share paid or unpaid information using these sites. These sites are also niche-focused.

For example, you can have this kind of website if you want to talk about stock markets. It can also be a portal website for discussing investment opportunities.

So have this kind of website if you want to be recognized as an expert in the industry.

Company Websites

This is one of the most common and old ways to set up a website. Companies showcase that they are experts in the fields by talking about the topics that matter. These websites can also be termed “virtual brochures.”

As the internet grew, companies grew digital. Now, most of them are using it as a powerful communication tool for customers and employees.

Blog Sites

Up there, I talked about personal websites. Blog sites can be more than personal websites. They can be used to market personal business or other businesses using affiliate marketing.

Blogging is the center of many companies’ content marketing strategies. So whether it’s an e-commerce website or a non-profit website, many websites have established a constantly updating blog.

Up there, I talked about personal websites. Blog sites can be more than personal websites. They can be used to market personal business or other businesses using affiliate marketing.

Blogging is the center of many companies’ content marketing strategies. So whether it’s an e-commerce website or a non-profit website, many websites have established a constantly updating blog.

Forums or Community Building Websites

These types of websites can bring together people with the same interests and engage a community in an excellent way. Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google Plus can be considered as community builders.

File-Sharing Websites

You can consider them as community-building websites, but they are more niche-focused. Some examples would be websites that share music, movies, or photos. Again, these types of websites require a strong internal search engine.

Work Collaboration Websites

More and more businesses are outsourcing their works to service providers. Whether you want content writing services or virtual assistance, you’ll always find cheaper yet quality services from countries like Pakistan or Bangladesh. To work with these virtual teams, you’ll need websites like Evernote, Asana, or Slack.

E-Commerce or Retail Websites

Over the years, numerous e-commerce businesses have started, and many of the already-existing ones have grown by leaps and bounds. One such example is Amazon.

It’s been 9 years that e-commerce markets first hit the $1 trillion mark. So if you are a retailer, it would be highly beneficial if you go digital.

The Blue Waves Way!

Think of your website as the window to your products and services on the internet. If you think of it as a huge business opportunity, you’ll work on all sorts of strategies. One of those strategies is to have a powerful and purposeful design.

At Blue Waves, we are determined to make powerful and purposeful designs. We have all the tools and experience to make your strategic presence on the internet. Please get in touch, and we’ll discuss your website needs!