There are over 1.18 billion websites online around the world1. It’s safe to say that there is a lot of content and information available for visitors to browse. Depending on what they are looking for, users have their preferred online destination. Despite 1.18 billion options, most people visit YouTube to consume video content. The fact is out of the 1.18 billion websites, 83% of them are inactive. If you are looking to make a website of your own, you want to ensure you fall in the category of 23% active websites.
To do this, you need to ensure your website is designed well, delivers a quality user experience, is discoverable via search engines and adds value for users.
There are a lot of different types of websites that you can make. To make the right choice you need to:
- Understand the purpose of your website
- Understand the different types of websites that can be made
In this article we will take a closer look at 3 different types of websites. You can discuss these 3 types with your website development agency in Trinidad to ensure you build a site for success:
1. Single Page Websites
A single page website is a site that has all of its information consolidated on the home page. Typically, these types of websites have a long scroll length. If there is a navigation included at the top of the page, clicking on it will take visitors to the relevant section of the home page instead of redirecting them to a new page. This type of website is a great choice if you have a very focused purpose for your website and limited content.
A good way to decide if you should go with a single page website, is to picture an infographic. If you feel you can fit all of the relevant information about your business on to an infographic, then you can consider building a single page website. These sites are very easy to use, and great for linear storytelling. From a development standpoint, these websites are easier, faster and less expensive to build. As the code is simple there are fewer chances of bugs and errors on a single page website.
The downside of a single page website is the limitation on content. If you have a wide product or service portfolio you will need to provide more information. Single page websites cannot accommodate this need for content. It is also very difficult to optimize these websites for search engines. As the amount of content is limited, the number of keywords you can optimize for is also limited. This can make it harder for users to find your website for relevant search queries. If you are choosing a single page website, make sure you talk to your website development agency about SEO.
2. Multi Page Websites
As the term suggests multi page websites have multiple pages. These are the type of sites most of us are familiar with. Multi page websites can be further classified based on their purpose:
E-Commerce Website:
This is a multi-page website that focuses on selling products and services online. Generally, each product / service would have its own page. Having an effective checkout process and payment gateway are some of the most important aspects to consider when building an e-commerce website.
Magazine websites:
Magazine websites are heavy on content. They will include videos, text content, images, etc. If you are looking to build a website to share content, you should look at magazine themes and layouts with your web design agency. An important consideration for these types of websites is loading time. These days blogging websites are very similar to magazine websites and the distinction between the two has become more grey.
Portfolio websites:
For creative professionals, portfolio websites are a place to showcase their work. If you are an artist, designer, writer, photographer, or architect, you should consider building a portfolio website. An important consideration here is structure. You do not have to show all your work on your website. Highlight your best work from different categories. A website design and development agency can help you identify the different categories that people are looking for online and you can structure your website accordingly.
3. Landing Pages
Landing pages are specialized websites that are built for a marketing campaign. Often they are a type of single page website. However, the scroll length on landing pages is limited. The content on these sites is very focused on a specific call to action that visitors need to take. Quite often they are simply a contact form that visitors need to fill out. Layout and design are a very important consideration for landing pages. The success or failure of these types of websites can be tracked by how effectively they are able to convert visitors for the required CTA.
Contact Webfx if you need help to figure out which type of website you need to build. We are full-service website design and development agency in Trinidad and also offer digital marketing and adverting services to businesses in the Caribbean.
Source:
- N. Huss, “How Many Websites Are There in the World?”, Siteefy, [available online], available from: https://siteefy.com/how-many-websites-are-there/ [accessed Mar 2022]
