The web is vast. As of now, there are billions of websites online, all competing for some share of the attention people give to their online browsing each day. When you’re starting a new website, it can be overwhelming to think about all the other websites out there.

Here are the 8 different types of websites:

1. E-commerce websites

An e-commerce website is an online shopping destination where users can purchase products or services from your company. Ecommerce websites can be an extension of a business you already have, or become something you build a new business around. For best performance, eCommerce websites must-have features capable of supporting online transactions so you can sell products easily. This type of website is great for entrepreneurs who want to expand their market or reduce production and operating costs.

Example: Flipkart

 

2. Blogs websites

You’ve likely come across blogs in your browsing experience, but for those who aren’t familiar, they’re online journals or informational pages that are regularly updated. Typically managed by an individual or a small group, a blog can cover any topic – whether it’s travel tips, financial advice, or doughnut reviews. Blogs are often written in an informal or conversational style, but learning how to monetize blogs has become a popular venture for many writers.

If you want to grow your audience, add a CTA and newsletter sign-up area to grab visitors’ email addresses. You’ll also want to send regular emails to your audience.

 Example: Hubspot

 

3. Portfolio Websites

A portfolio website allows creative professionals a place for showcasing their best work. This is perfect for artists, writers, designers, filmmakers, furniture builders, you name it. Service providers who want to show potential clients the quality of the work they provide can use a portfolio website to collect some of the best samples of past work they’ve done. This type of website is simpler to build than a business website and more focused on a particular task: collecting work samples.

Example: sowmyas portfolio

 

4. News websites

News and media websites focus on delivering up-to-date information about the latest world events to the public. They use both textual and visual content. In the past decade, many traditional news organizations have moved online due to financial and audience pressures. If you’re thinking about starting a news business, consider making the same decision. With a news and media website, you get to publish as many articles as you want without being hindered by the high production and distribution costs.

Example: Times of India

 

5. Educational websites

The websites of educational institutions and those offering online courses fall into the category of educational websites. These websites have the primary goal of either providing educational materials to visitors or providing information on an educational institution to them. These websites help make the process of learning entertaining and attractive to the student, especially in today’s age.

Example: udemy

 

6. Brochure websites

Brochure websites are a simplified form of business websites. For businesses that know they need an online presence, but don’t want to invest a lot into it, a simple brochure site that includes just a few pages that lay out the basics of what you do and provide contact information may be enough for you.

For example, a small plumbing company would build a brochure website with a homepage to display contact information, an ‘about us’ page describing the company, and maybe a few photos of their work. 

If you have a business and know you don’t need your website to be a marketing tool that brings in new business, you just need something more like an online business card, then a brochure website may do the trick.

 Example: Premier Student Halls

 

7. Magazine websites

A magazine website features articles, photos, and videos that are informational and educational. In the last twenty years, the magazine industry has changed from a print-only platform to a largely digital format. The magazine website type works well for informational websites, particularly publications from universities and organizations.

Example: urbanomnibus

8. Landing pages

A landing page is a specific page type created for a marketing campaign that drives visitors to take a specific action. The content on a landing page should be limited and point toward the call-to-action (CTA) you’d like the user to take. Allow plenty of white space around your CTA and save elements not related to the purpose of that campaign for other pages.

Landing pages are often linked to social media, e-mail campaigns, search engine marketing campaigns, high-quality articles, or “affiliate accounts” in order to enhance the effectiveness of the advertisements.

Example: Lyft

 

Pay attention to what other companies have done with their website design and quickly identify which format works best for each project. Knowing what others have accomplished with different page types gives you a strong feel for the kind of website that will work best for you.