Types of Websites: 13 Popular Website Types

No matter what type of content you share, business you run, or community you serve, there’s a type of website to suit your online presence. 

Different types of websites serve different purposes. For example, some websites are exclusively used to showcase something like creative work, like a portfolio website, while others are used to generate sales, like an ecommerce website. 

This guide will show you 13 of the most popular website types that you can use for different business or personal goals, along with tips to make them successful. 

13 common types of websites

However niche your business is, there’s a website type that likely suits it. Below are 13 of the most common website types for you to consider when selecting the right one for your business or hobby. 

1. Business website

Every business needs a website. A business website is often the first source of information for your potential customer or user.  

This type of website can suit businesses with an in-person location, like restaurants, shops, service providers, and galleries. These types of businesses have physical places you can go to experience or learn more about them, but still need an online place to share important information, such as address, menus, or products.

It’s up to the business owner to decide what information to include on their website based on what’s most important for customers to know. Some websites are information dense, while others have only the essentials. 

To make this type of website effective, ensure you’re answering the following questions for your customer: 

• Who you are

• What you provide

• Where you’re located

• What makes your business unique

2. Ecommerce website

If you want to sell something online, an ecommerce website is the website type for you. Ecommerce is when products are sold in an online store. The business owner may also sell in person, but their ecommerce website is the primary shopping destination for customers. 

A good ecommerce website will have information about your brand or business, clear product pages with images and engaging descriptions, and a digital checkout for a seamless buying experience. 

Ecommerce websites often feature more information, such as brand news, product demos, and shipping and return policies. FAQs and contact information are handy to include as well, to maximize convenience for online shoppers. 

3. Booking website

A booking website is useful for business owners or entrepreneurs who offer services at specific times or places. Some types of businesses or services that require scheduling include career coaches, therapists, hair stylists, and facilitators of workshops or retreats. Anything that can be considered an event or in need of advance scheduling is suited for a booking website.

One of the most important details for any booking website is to make the booking or calendar option easy to spot. Many websites place a booking button in their header navigation and high on their homepage. Include detailed information about the service you’re providing, and use your page copy and imagery to show the value of what you offer. Emphasize results and highlight testimonials to encourage visitors to make an appointment or sign up.

Maximize the effectiveness of your booking website by making any cancellation and fee information easy to find. Having clear policies will set expectations and make new customers feel more confident scheduling time with you.  

4. Blog website

Blogs, at their core, are a place to provide readers with information on a particular topic. It’s a longform medium around a specific theme or topic, from current events to recipe testing. Blogs initially came to the web as a place for anyone to write about their interests. While they still are, they’ve also since evolved to become community spaces, content creator platforms, and news or magazine websites. 

Not all blogs are meant for business or monetary purposes. There can be hobby blogs, too, or literary magazines designed to share work by or for a specific audience. 

When starting a blog website, keep design and aesthetic choices and search engine optimization (SEO) top of mind. Make it easy on your readers by picking a blog layout that’s user-friendly and structure your posts in a way that’s easy to follow. Consider how you’re archiving your pieces to make them easy to find and group blogs by topic or subject. 

As you establish your own voice and style, you can optimize your blog content with SEO keywords. These may naturally appear as you write about a topic you know well, but they help your blogs appear in search results and attract traffic to your website. 

5. Content-driven website

While it may sound similar to a blog, a content-driven website is designed for more than just written content. Content-driven or content-focused websites can feature a variety of formats. This includes written, video, photo, or audio content, like worksheets, art, tutorials, music, or podcasts.

A content-driven website gives you control over the content you share and how your audience views it. This type of website should be designed to elevate your content and make it easy to discover. For example, if you’re a content creator with multiple content types, have pages for each type of content or topic you cover.

If you have an established audience, you can also use a website to take more ownership over your earnings. On a platform like Squarespace, you can add paywalls to video and blog libraries and set up content subscriptions for your following.

6. Portfolio website

Many creatives, business owners, and entrepreneurs have a portfolio website. A portfolio website showcases an artist or a creative’s work—almost like a digital, visual resume. For example, if you’re a freelance journalist, your portfolio can include clips and links to your work for publications. It’s a great opportunity to showcase some of your best pieces, awards, your specialization, and how to contact you for potential work. 

It might seem tempting to throw everything you’ve ever done onto your portfolio site, but it’s best to be selective about your work. Consider some of the things you’re most proud of and want to showcase: What shows a potential hiring manager or client what you specialize in?

If you’re a creative who bounces between commercial or corporate and artistic work, keep those portfolio sections separate. For example, if you’re a journalist who does content writing, ensure you highlight those projects differently to tailor your presentation to each set of potential clients. 

7. Personal website

Personal websites can include elements of the other website types listed, but the key is that they’re created to highlight the individual behind the site. For many people, a personal website is a digital resume to establish their professional brand. For others, it’s a place to share a passion project.  

A personal website might be an online space where an entrepreneur can be less formal or focus on their personal branding. For example, a freelance photographer may have a portfolio that showcases all of their work, but they may also have a personal website that’s less about what they’ve done and more about who they are, including hobbies or interests. 

8. Educational website

An educational website is good for a business or entrepreneur who offers courses to their customers or clients. For example, a marketing consultant may offer online courses on specific marketing tactics and strategies for marketers looking to level up their skills. 

A dietician might offer education across formats: a monthly newsletter full of recipes and tips, online courses, live nutrition workshops or wellness retreats, and a blog for healthy eating advice. Other educational websites might bring on experts to teach one-off or multiple courses on a specific subject. 

Whatever the case may be for your educational website, make it clear what you’re offering and why, who the experts are, and what a user will get out of the offerings. Consider using SEO strategies to bring in traffic to your website from those searching for a particular course or teacher. 

9. Membership or community website

There are plenty of businesses and organizations with a loyal audience. A membership or community-based website is the best type of website to bring a like minded group together.

A membership website may contain exclusive content or offerings to those who are paying a small fee for it. For example, a content creator may want to make monthly playlists and podcasts available to their audience for a small subscription fee. By putting the content behind a paywall or subscription, it becomes a premium offering they can earn from. 

There’s a community element, too. You can open comments on blog posts or welcome replies in newsletters for your supporters to meet and discuss the content. 

10. Nonprofit and charity website

Nonprofit or charity websites showcase an organization’s mission and values and the causes they’re supporting. This website type can help legitimize and give authority to your cause. It should include information on any board members, achievements, ways to donate and tax implications, upcoming events, or specific projects and initiatives of note.

This type of website benefits from strong storytelling. It’s an opportunity to share why your cause is important and the impact your organization can have with the support of volunteers and donors. It’s also a chance to build trust with potential supporters. Make it clear who’s behind the organization, the story behind its mission, and how you’ve made a difference already. 

11. Event website

From managing wedding details and RSVPs to concerts, benefits, and camps, an event website is a great tool for running events smoothly and keeping attendees organized.

An event website can be both a promotional tool and an event assistant. It should include all of the key details about what the event is, where it’s happening and when, and any special information. 

Let’s use a wedding as an example. A wedding event website needs to have information about who’s getting married, when, where, transportation and lodging details, and how to RSVP.

The who, what, when, where, how can be applied to all different kinds of events. For a nonprofit benefit dinner, you might include similar basic details, but also include ticket pricing, a dress code, and major donors. For events with higher costs or paid tickets, consider adding cancellation or rescheduling information in case of unexpected circumstances.

12. One-page website

Sometimes you only need one page for a website and nothing else. For special events, product launches, or landing pages, a one-page website is sometimes  best. It strips down all the information that’s necessary to fit on one, scrollable page and allows you to design and launch your website quickly.

This is a particularly mobile-friendly option because one-page websites don’t usually require large images or a lot of text, which can make websites slower to load or more difficult to navigate. If your website has a singular purpose, a one-page website can be an efficient option to accomplish your goals. 

13. Directory website

Directory websites offer a searchable reference for something users might look for often, like local businesses or a specific type of artist. For website visitors a directory offers both variety and trustworthy curation. They can browse a range of options in one place, and might trust the website owner to have vetted those in the directory.  

For example, if a user is looking to find information about local brick-and-mortar stores, a directory website would be a great place to find all of this data. Ideally, they’d be able to filter or search by the type of store or location. It’s a structured way of finding information with a community-led element.

How to choose the right type of website for you

There are several different types of websites available for your business or personal needs. But how do you know which one is right for you? Below are a few tips to consider when deciding which type of website to start with. 

• Your business or personal goals: Whether you want to earn from selling products or services or you’re a hobbyist in search of community, your goals will guide many of your website choices. Select a website type that complements them.

• Audience need: What does your website need to do for your audience? Are you a ceramicist looking to sell your housewares online? An ecommerce website is your best bet. Are you a hair stylist? Consider a booking website. If you’re looking to promote your work, a portfolio might do.

• Additional tools: Consider if your chosen type of website has all of the things you need to succeed. If you’re looking to sell online, privacy and security are important factors to consider. Or you may want design flexibility or features that easily translate to marketing.