10 Popular Types of Websites For Every Need
By Nisha Feb 8, 2022
Your website is the face of your business, and choosing from the many types of websites out there is key to drawing in and retaining customers.
Studies have shown that it takes less than one second for visitors to form an opinion about your website and determine whether they’ll stay to explore or leave.
So, whether you’re operating a business or running a website for personal branding, it’s important to use a good layout and user-friendly design if you want your website to appeal to visitors.
Below, we’ll cover how to choose the perfect type of website along with every option available to you.
How to choose the perfect type of website
When determining the best type of website, consider your goals.
Are you designing a site to sell a product or gain new clients? Are you hoping to showcase your writing or photography? Maybe you’re creating a website to cover news stories or to collect donations for a charitable cause.
Whatever your intention, the type of website you choose needs to resonate with those who visit it. Consider your audience and who is most likely to visit the site:
- What design styles are most likely to appeal to them?
- How do they want to see information displayed?
- What information do you want to convey when they click on your site?
Keep in mind, your website is a reflection of your brand identity so make sure that whatever you choose, it’s consistent with your other branding.
Different types of websites
Below, we’ve listed 10 different types of websites and provided some real-world examples. We’ve also added web platforms you can build a site on to help you choose the perfect type of website for your business.
1. E-commerce websites
Ideal for: Selling products
Platforms to use: Shopify, Wix, Ecwid, WordPress, BigCommerce
An e-commerce website is designed specifically for the facilitation of buying and selling goods or services over the internet. When you build an e-commerce website, you’ll have an SSL certificate built into the site, which shows visitors and consumers that your website’s connection is encrypted, making it a secure place to shop online.
To keep your website on-brand, visit the Looka print shop for customizable marketing tools, and use Looka’s branded invoice templates and social media assets.
2. Portfolio websites
Ideal for: Showcasing work such as writing, art, graphic design, and photography
Platforms to use: Squarespace, WordPress, Wix, Behance
Examples: Florent Biffi, BLVR
A portfolio is designed to be visually appealing and is used to display a collection of work. Typically, it’s used by artists, writers, and graphic or web designers to show past successes and to share their capabilities with potential new clients.
3. Blogging websites
Ideal for: Sharing ideas and stories through writing, gaining traffic
Platforms to use: WordPress, Wix, Tumblr, Squarespace, Hubspot
Examples: Minimalist Baker, Color Me Courtney
A blog is a great way to build a brand for yourself. With a blog, you can drive traffic to other websites or social media pages, or simply share your thoughts and ideas with your website visitors.
Before you start your blog, use Looka’s Logo Maker to design a logo that suits your goals and take time to develop a solid personal brand for yourself.
4. Business websites
Ideal for: Gaining clients and showcasing work in one place
Platforms to use: Wix, Squarespace, WordPress
Examples: Neil Patel, The Futur
A business website is more comprehensive than a portfolio and is a good way to share more detailed information about what you do. It can include everything from copy that describes your business and helps you gain new clients to a detailed portfolio of work you’ve completed.
Check out Looka’s templated website designs, which are part of the Looka Brand Kit, as well as the examples mentioned above.
5. Media or news website
Ideal for: Gaining traffic and sharing important information
Platforms to use: WordPress, Custom design
Examples: Buzzfeed, Refinery29
A media or news website is ideal if you want to share news via writing, video or photo. It enables you to easily sort, store and share information within the backend of the site and can be easily customized to keep the most up-to-date articles toward the front or the top of the page.
Media and news websites are also a good way to build traffic and attract new readers to your website.
6. Educational website
Ideal for: Selling a digital product/course and gaining traffic
Platforms to use: Teachable, Thinkific, Coursera, WordPress
Examples: Makocino, Brit + Co.
If you’re selling a course or sharing important educational information with the world, you’ll need to build an educational website or host your site on other platforms, such as Thinkific or Coursera.
Keep in mind that an educational website will require a platform that can host large video files and a high volume of content so make sure the platform you use offers plenty of webspace.
7. Forum website
Ideal for: Building a community, increasing traffic and engagement
Platforms to use: WordPress
Forums are a type of website that facilitates the exchange of ideas and information among a high volume of users. Forums are a great way to drive traffic and build engagement for your website, thus increasing your exposure.
8. Nonprofit websites
Ideal for: Collecting donations
Platforms to use: Duda, Squarespace
Examples: WWF, World Food Programme
If you’re operating a nonprofit organization and you’re looking to collect financial donations, a website is key. Using an e-commerce-type website with an SSL certificate is best but it’s also important to keep your message clear, so opt for a clean design and a user-friendly website experience.
9. Social media websites
Ideal for: Gaining traffic and sharing content
Platform to use: Custom design
Examples: Instagram, Flickr, Facebook, Pinterest
Maybe you’re tired of the social media options that exist currently or maybe it’s time to finally realize your dream of becoming a social media tycoon. Either way, designing your own social media website isn’t necessarily an easy feat. There are a lot of intricacies that go on behind the scenes on this type of website so custom web design is typically best.
10. Directory websites
Ideal for: Gaining traffic
Platform to use: Custom design
Examples: Yellowpages, Google, Yelp
If you want to build a directory-style site to act as a search engine or to profile local or national businesses, it’s best to partner with a custom web designer who can help you build the necessary tools to accurately crawl the web for up-to-date information.
Which type of website is best for you?
With so many types of websites out there, the one you select for your business depends largely on your needs and the website’s purpose. It’s important to think first about why you want a website and second about the intended audience before making any decisions.
To recap, the different types of websites out there include:
- E-commerce website: to sell a product or service
- Portfolio website: to showcase work
- Blogging website: to gain followers and share ideas
- Business website: to showcase your company
- Media or news website: to gain traffic and share important information
- Educational website: to sell or teach a course
- Forum website: to build community and increase engagement
- Nonprofit website: to collect charitable donations
- Social media website: to share content
- Directory website: to search webpages or businesses
Design a beautiful website in a day using Looka’s website builder included in the Brand Kit! The Brand Kit website builder includes many types of websites to choose from, with custom copy and auto-generated images to match your needs!
