Why people may be interested in having a webpage may vary. It may be to promote your business, charity, or simply sharing your story with the world. But for something that is so widely accepted in modern life, actually getting online can seem like a mystery.

With over a billion websites online today, however, it may surprise you that half the battle of getting seen is at the beginning, choosing the right design.

Today we are going to break down exactly all you need to know about the 8 major types that are out there. Even if you are thinking of outsourcing the work you will see having a good idea of what you need can help you get what you want.

1. E-Commerce Website

You more than likely are familiar with the concept of an e-commerce website. Companies that are focused on selling products will have this general setup and design to their website.

Filtering through products and sales and making the final purchase should be an easy process otherwise, it can directly affect your bottom line.

If you are planning to sell products online, then this is for you. When designing one, incorporating an SSL certificate is a must. Their purpose is to encrypt the connection between the user and your site and is an aspect that is a requirement to appear on any major search engine today, especially those accepting payments.

Attention should also be given to item descriptions and image quality, as all these design features can make or break your site.

2. Blogs

First starting in the mid-'90s, blog sites enable the maker to write or post photos and videos about anything that they are interested in. Their relaxed, casual website design is part of their appeal, mainly starting as passion projects for the maker.

In addition, the ability to generate ad revenue and other forms of monetization has only gone on to spark most people's interest in setting one up themselves.

Blogs are simple enough websites to set up as their focus isn't on lead generation or sales, so if your purpose for getting an online presence is purely personal then this may be for you.

3. Business Websites

At this point, if you want to find out more about a business there is only one thing you look for.

Their website.

The most common among the different types of websites, business websites are now the main representation a company can provide to the public, so a lot of care needs to be taken when designing one. What message do you want to give off about your business? What is your unique selling point? What problem are you solving for people that may come looking for you?

All of these types of things should be evident the moment that someone lands on your home page.

Services and products should be well situated in the website design. In addition, although most businesses may share some elements of e-commerce sites, one factor setting them apart can be the contact page information, as the intention of some types of websites is for customers to make reservations and bookings, which should be possible to do also.

4. Portfolio Websites

If you are a freelancer aiming to catch clients, then a portfolio website is what you want.

These types of websites have the sole purpose of demonstrating what someone does well, so they are made up of past examples of work. These examples should be of the highest quality as you are no doubt going to competing against others in your field.

If you are considering how to create a website in this field then more than any other, real focus should be spent on visuals. From the offset, your personality should be clear from the homepage through to the contact me page. Your call to action should be well thought out too. Make it clear that you are easily contactable as

Did you know most users only need 0.05 seconds to form an opinion about your website? This gives you a very narrow window to grab their attention. But how are you supposed to know what keeps people browsing when you start out?

Doing your research can solve a lot of problems later down the line. Read on as we discuss the things you should know before building a website.

1. Establish a Purpose

This may sound obvious, but many people start a website without understanding its purpose. Others may want to do too many things and overcrowd it. Therefore, you need to make sure you know why you are building this site.

Is it to attract franchisees to your pizza business? Is it to sell your homemade clutch bags? Is it simply a portfolio to showcase your freelance work?

Knowing what you want from the site will inform everything you do. If you want to put a shop online, then you need to look into certain types of website design. A portfolio may require a one page website with more focus on sleek images and minimal text.

2. Get to Grips With SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a rating given to you by search engine algorithms. They take a number of different factors and decide how relevant your website is to their customers. The higher your SEO ranking, the higher up the search you will appear when people type in terms related to your site.

Many people assume SEO is something you should do after you have built the website. However, by getting to grips before you begin, you can make informed decisions that will increase your SEO ranking. These can include everything from the hosting you choose to how you design the website design itself.

3. Choose Domain and Hosting Wisely

Domain names are the moniker given to your website. They are important, as they help identify your company and brand. They also help search engines understand what you are about.

Start by setting a budget for the domain. Check online to see what names are available and try to look for keywords related to that niche to include.

For example, imagine you had a sneaker brand and your name was Johnson. Just Johnsons.com could be taken by the famous baby products brand. If you extend it to johnsonssneakers.com, you would get your own domain that has information about the product.

After this, you need to choose hosting. This is the server that your website files are stored on. Hosting can impact a lot of factors, from the speed of your website to its security, so look for reviews online and choose wisely.

4. What Will Your Sitemap Be Like?

Mapping out before creating your website will be a huge help. It helps you decide what you want to show visitors on arrival, and the journey they will take to your desired destination. This may be a product page to a shopping cart or reading about service, to signing up with your mailing list.

When plotting this, try to stick to a three-click rule. This should be to get them to any page or section they may be searching for in less than three clicks. When they are there, it should be no more than another click for them to purchase or sign up for your offers.

5. Know Your Branding

A lot of studies have been done on the psychology of branding. This can include color theory and its impact on perceptions, and other factors, like the types of font you use. If you are starting a business, then it may help to consult a specialist on this before you start the site.

Perhaps you just want the website for personal use, in which case you don't need to think about it as much. However, you should at least have a cohesive design and color scheme that relates to the theme of the blog. For example, a blog about children's art would look out of place it was made in black and gold.

6. Think About Content

The adage goes that content is king, and it still remains true. Content is what people come to your website for, and it is not just your contact details and pictures of your products. Done right, content can bring you lots of free web traffic that is easy to turn into solid leads.

Knowing about content also means getting to grips with keywords. These are the terms people type into search engines. Content that does not answer the right keywords and phrases does not get read, so it is important to pick something lots of people are searching for.

7. Images

Nobody wants to be hit with a wall of words when they visit a website. Images should be one of your main website design considerations. They help break up boring lumps of text and can infer meaning beyond that which is written.

For example, if you land on the website for a new car and see a picture of a family loading up the trunk, you know it's a family car. You don't have to say this in the text, as the image has already done the job.

There are two ways to get great images. One is to use stock photos, ideally paid ones, so you do not have the same pictures as everyone else. The other is to hire a photographer to get great shots for you.

8. Select a Design and Theme

Finally, select the look and theme of your website. Modern website designs often opt for easy-to-read and navigate design over-busy, bells-and-whistles ones. Consider everything from the color scheme to the choice of fonts.

One tip is to make sure the design is mobile-responsive. This is when the website resizes images and text to better fit on phones. As most browsing is done on mobile, this will result in much better conversions.

Start Building Your Website

Now you know the tips, you can start building your website. It can be daunting at first, but there are lots of hints and tips online. If you really get stuck, consider professional assistance.

Your first stop should be Optuno. We have easy template-building tools for single and multiple website pages. Contact us here for a free 30-minute consultation and see what we can do for your business.

your goal is for them to pick up the phone or shoot you a message.

 

5. Educational Websites

Educational websites can come in two separate varieties. Those whose purpose is to represent an institution, such as a college, and those who are offering educational content online for people to gain qualifications.

Over the last few years, this second type has boomed, with one study showing at least 6 million Americans are pursuing online education. These types of websites should be focused on designing a website that is engaging for the learner as the initial motivation can easily dwindle over time. Interactive features like a good use of multimedia rather than walls of text can go some way to achieve just that.

Websites for institutions can be designed with the same outlook as a business website. A good representation of who they are and what they do is best, as this can make or break if someone finally decides to study or even invest in the good work that they do.

6. Landing Pages

Simple and to the point, landing pages are particularly useful when used well. These pages are usually set up to support a particular marketing campaign with a specific goal in mind, whether it is to generate leads or introduce a new app to the public.

Clean, slick design with not much in the way of bells and whistles is the way to go. Where you want people to put in their info should be obvious, and the copywriting should point clearly towards your call to action.

7. Nonprofit Websites

As with any organization that relies on members of the public to succeed, nonprofits also need websites to achieve their goals. It makes their cause appear legitimate and also can allow people to make donations easily and without much fuss, furthering the cause in question.

These sites need to include pages that demonstrate how they are going about making a change. They also should have a function to collect email addresses as good lead generation is crucial to continue further funding.

8. Media and Entertainment Websites

Whether you want to find out the latest news or just want to disconnect, media pages like Buzzfeed or The Onion are where most people spend their downtime online.

Being engaging and dynamic is the name of the game for these sites. The more people they can draw in the better it is for their ad revenue, where they make most of their money.

Good appealing content is needed as they update on a daily basis. These types of websites also need to have simple easy to understand layouts to keep people engaged.

The Importance of Understanding Different Types of Websites

There is no point in starting on a journey if you are unclear about your destination. In the same way, getting a good understanding of the types of sites out there can help you on your way to achieving your goals.

When it comes to customizing the perfect site for you, we at Optuno can help you turn your ideas into reality. Fill us in on the type of site that you are looking for and we will be more than happy to get you online!