Website

What is Website? 

       A website, also written as web site  is a collection of related web pages, including multimedia content, typically identified with a common domain name, and published on at least one web server. A web site may be accessible via a public Internet Protocol (IP) network, such as the Internet, or a private local area network (LAN), by referencing a uniform resource locator (URL) that identifies the site. All publicly accessible websites collectively constitute the World Wide Web, while private websites are typically a part of an intranet.

Today, we can easily identify eight different types of websites available on the Internet since the inception of the basic informational website which appeared in the early years.

1. Informational Websites

As mentioned above, information-based websites were the first versions to hit the Internet.  They are as they sound – sites which enable readers to find information on a particular business or topic. Today, these are the most basic of sites, so extreme care should be taken with copywriting and visuals, because what they lack in bells and whistles, they need to make up for in quality content.

2. Brochure/Catalogue Style Websites

This kind of website goes further in depth than an informational site and provides general information about a store as well as the stock they carry and the prices. Don’t confuse this kind of site with a web shop – it is better suited for products that are specialized or require unique quotations. Call to Actions (CTAs) are super important on Brochure sites because you are asking the customer to take an extra step to contact or come see you.

3. E-Commerce Websites

E-Commerce websites take brochure websites a step further by allowing you to shop directly from your computer.  The main difference between a brochure site and an e-commerce site is that the latter features a checkout system to enable you to order directly from the online store. There are a number of plugins and pre-built options available, and your shopping cart choice depends greatly on your specific product and business. Show me the money!

4. Blogs

Blogging websites (originally known as ‘web logs’) did not hit the mainstream until the early to mid 2000s.  However, blogging has become very popular for both business and personal use. Blogs are great to establish expertise, display a story or concept, and reach the reader (end user) in a personal way. Blogs also translate intrinsically to Social Media, so if you are starting a Blog, make certain Social Media is an essential part of your growth strategy.

5. Personal Websites

Personal websites are similar to that of a personal blog, where an individual in all likelihood will have their own personal domain.  These are created by friends and families to share their information and pictures online with each other allowing for people to keep in contact. More recently, people have started to use these to demonstrate skill sets or create interactive resumes that really work to set them apart.

6. Social Media and Networking Websites

More popular than ever, online forums and social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn are used on a daily basis to spread the word about businesses and keep in touch with family and friends. Not just for posting pictures of kids and cats, these sites offer great targeted advertising and growth opportunities for small, consumer-based businesses. Buttons and links to your Social Media pages should be included and defined in your web-build spec.

7. Photo Sharing Websites

Great for those in the photographic industry, these sites allow for individuals to upload and share photographs online.

8. Mobile Device Websites

Now called “responsive sites”. As technology develops, so is the variety of new websites appearing online.  The latest is the creation of websites for viewing on mobile devices and mobile phones. But seriously – any website you build today simply must be mobile friendly, aka ‘responsive’. There are a number of factors to consider when building a responsive site, so make sure you are working with an experienced designer.

Knowing the types of websites available will help identify your web development requirements and define the one most suitable for your business needs.

Example of Website Builders

           Wix.com is a cloud-based web development platform that allows users to create HTML5 web sites and mobile sites through the use of their online drag and drop tools. Users may add functionalities such as social plug-ins, e-commerce, contact forms, e-mail marketing, and community forums to their web sites using a variety of Wix-developed and third-party applications.

The Web.com Group was formed as a result of the merger of Web.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: WEB) and Website Pros, Inc. (WSP, NASDAQ: WSPI). Website Pros was founded in 1999 by Darin Brannan with a goal of becoming the largest nationwide website design and related value-add services company to the small and mid-sized market in a subscription model (SaaS). The idea was to provide these services at 1/10 the cost and time of that offered by thousands of small web design shops dominating the cottage industry. It went public in 2005.

 It’s been a player in the hosting arena for more than 15 years and is now owned by Endurance International Group (EIG) (the same group that owns dozens of other hosting companies, including BlueHost, iPage, HostMonster, JustHost, and Hostgator, to name just a few). The company just underwent a major revamp and relaunch this year (2015).

Strikingly is a website builder that allows the user, with little or no development experience,to create mobile optimized websites “within minutes”. The company takes a mobile-first approach, allowing users to create websites that are enhanced for viewing across all devices including desktops, tablets, and smartphones.
Weebly is a web-hosting service featuring a drag-and-drop website builder. The company is headquartered in San Francisco. The company was founded by chief executive officer (CEO) David Rusenko, chief technology officer (CTO) Chris Fanini, and chief operating officer (COO) Dan Veltri. The startup competes with Wix.com, Webs, WordPress.com,Squarespace.com, Jimdo, Yola, SnapPages, and other web-hosting and creation websites.

The appropriately-named SimpleSite is an old-school freemium drag-and-drop website builder that, while plain and dated, serves up a solid free plan and generous free eCommerce. 

iPage is a web hosting company owned by the Endurance International Group. iPage's hosting plans serve more than 2,000,000 web sites. iPage was initially founded in 1998 as a full web service provider, but the company completely re-launched operations as a web hosting provider in 2009. It's currently run byEndurance International Group, which is also the owner of other web hosting companies such as BlueHost and HostGator. 

Register.com (previously Forman Interactive) was founded as a provider of Internet services by brothers Richard, Peter Forman and Dan Levine in 1994. In 1999, the company officially changed its name to Register.com. 

Webs primarily target small businesses and entrepreneurs. This is not to say that you can’t build a personal or non-profit website using Webs as you most definitely can (we will discuss user-friendliness and website building tools below).  But the tools that they provide are slightly more geared towards small businesses, which we will review and let you know our opinion below.

GoDaddy is a publicly traded Internet domain registrar and web hosting company. As of January 2016, GoDaddy was said to have had more than 61 million domain names under management, making it the world's largest ICANN-accredited registrar. It serves more than 13 million customers and employs more than 4,000 people. The company is known for its celebrity spokespeople, Super Bowl ads and as being an online provider for small businesses. In addition to a postseason college football bowl game, it previously sponsored NASCAR. It has been involved in several controversies related to security and privacy.