Different types of websites
Websites serve many different purposes and so if you’re considering a new one or a revamp of your existing one, this article, and a related one, should provide some things to consider about the sort of content you’re proposing and some options for getting it built.
The most common kinds of sites fall into the following categories:
• Micro Sites – these are usually no more than one or two pages and may be associated with a larger site or have a completely separate web address. They may have a specific purpose such as to be a ‘landing page’ for people searching on Google etc. which will then direct the user to the main web site with further information. The advantage of micro sites is that they are specific and ‘content rich’ so generally will rank well on Google for their targeted topic.
• Brochure Sites – a standard company site consisting of basic static information about the company itself, their products and/or services and contact information. A basic brochure site may be as small as 2 or 3 pages and a complex one several 10′s of pages.
• Content/Information Sites – as the name implies these provide news (e.g. BBC website), article, information, weather, timetables, share prices etc. and may allow user interaction with the site (e.g. Wikipedia). The content will be updated regularly and these sites are generally managed by larger companies and organisations.
• Blogs – these are similar to content sites but on a smaller scale and so will be managed by individuals or smaller companies such as ours. They can be standalone sites or part of a bigger site Using the BBC as an example again, there are numerous blogs managed by individual journalists. Articles are added as blog ‘posts’ and usually arranged chronologically with the most recent first. Users may or may not interact with the site depending on how the blog has been set up – for example, comments or responses can often be added.
• Forum Sites – these are possibly attached to a bigger site but may just be stand alone. Most forums will relate to a specific topic or business area and enable discussions on areas of interest or needing a problem to be solved. Interaction and involvement being the key to a successful forum. These sites usually require a fair degree of administration as members need to be added and comments often require moderation.
• E-commerce Sites – these require little explanation! These can be dedicated sites just for selling goods or there may be an e-commerce ‘module’ attached to a brochure site where a company may just have a small range of goods available for sale online.
There are other types of websites that we have not tried to cover here – directories, portals, social networking and file sharing to name but a few. If you would like to discuss how best to manage the content on your website do get in touch by email or phone.
