With over 1.7 billion websites present, providing different styles, formats, and functions, choosing the right website for your business becomes a little confusing.
As a business owner, you need to be aware of all the different kinds of present websites. Analysing what the competitors use and conducting tests allows you to choose the right type of website.
We have created this guide for you to make it easy to understand different types of websites. This guide covers types of websites along with their pros and cons. You can choose the right type of website that suits you.
Types of websites
1. Static website
These websites are the most basic ones and are the easiest to create. You don’t need a database or any web programming for making these types of websites. You just need to create a few HTML pages and publish them on a webserver to create these types of websites.
These websites have a fixed code, and the web content does not change unless updated manually by the webmaster. While it works well for small websites, large websites with huge amounts of traffic may be difficult to maintain. Therefore larger websites use dynamic pages.
Pros
- Cost-effective
These websites are cheap to develop. For a startup having a shoestring budget, these come across as the most suitable option. You can get a dedicated server for cheap prices for static websites.
- Time-saving
Static websites can be developed quickly. These websites can be developed in a much shorter span of time when compared to dynamic websites.
- Easy indexing
Search engines can easily index these types of websites
- Quick transferring
These types of websites do not have a complex structure like dynamic websites and can be easily transferred to clients without a lengthy process.
Cons
- Limited functionality
These types of websites don’t offer wide functionalities that a dynamic website is capable of. These types of websites cannot perform any other functions except for adding images, videos, hyperlinks, and texts.
- Difficult to update
The HTML files need to be changed individually for making changes and updates.
- Not suitable for a long run
Businesses continuously need to make changes to the website for the latest information and updates. If they use a static website it will become very difficult for them to do so.Therefore, in the long run, businesses opt for dynamic websites.
2. Dynamic websites
Dynamic websites are types of websites that can display different types of content every time the user views them. It changes the display depending on various factors like time of day, viewer demographics, location, language settings, etc.
Unlike static websites, dynamic websites don’t need manual updates. Dynamic websites use client-side scripting and server-side scripting to do so. Both these scripts help in reducing the server’s load time.
Pros
- Easy to update
The primary advantage of these types of websites is they are easy to update. Analytical research is not required for making updates.
- Interactive
These websites are interactive. The visitor gets a quick response on these websites. And this website changes according to the user’s behavior.
- Sleek navigation
Dynamic websites enable the user to move around easily. It makes the transition from one page to another quick and easy for the user.
Cons
- Expensive
The development of these types of websites is a little expensive. Cost is high for hosting as well.
- Slow loading
These websites have to perform different functions with complex technologies, therefore they load much slower than static websites.
3. E-commerce Websites
These types of websites allow the user to buy and sell goods, services, and digital products. Using an e-commerce website, a business can process orders, get paid, provide customer tracking, manage logistics. E- commerce websites can be of different types depending on your business.
There are B2B E-Commerce websites, where the trade happens between businesses. B2C E-Commerce websites let businesses trade with direct consumers. Other types include C2C, C2B, C2A, B2A.
Pros
- Selling internationally
New brands can reach customers internationally using e-commerce websites. You get the option to buy and sell products worldwide. It lets you develop your brand quicker.
- Personalised experience
You can offer personalised experience to your customers through e-commerce websites. Personalization of websites can boost sales. You can run various campaigns to attract more customers.
- Low cost of financing
To start an ecommerce business you don’t need a huge amount of funds. You can start a website and start selling products immediately.
Cons
- E-commerce is highly competitive
The number of e-commerce websites has increased a lot in recent years. The market has become competitive. You need aggressive marketing in order to sustain in the market.
- Website crash
The biggest disadvantage of e-commerce is when there is a large number of visitors present on a website, there are chances that the website may collapse. And when the website crashes the business stops. There is no business till the website is live again.
- Security issues
Malicious hackers often steal customer’s informations from these websites. E-commerce websites need constant security checks in order to keep consumer data safe.
Outlook
Depending on the nature of a business there are different types of websites available. You need to thoroughly analyse all kinds of websites and decide which website suits your business the most. If you are a startup having a low budget, you can develop a static website. If you want a more personalised website you can go for dynamic ones. E-commerce websites can get you access to a wide variety of customers.
References
- https://www.koolstories.com/ecommerce-website-pros-cons
- https://sundewsolutions.com/blog/static-vs-dynamic-website-pros-and-cons-detailed-comparisons
- https://www.spiralytics.com/blog/what-are-dynamic-websites/
- https://www.google.com/amp/s/99designs.com/blog/web-digital/types-of-websites/amp/
