9 Types Of Websites You Should Know About

Most people put every site on the internet into the same bucket, and they call it “just a website”. But the truth is, not all sites are built for the same purpose. A Shopify store has very different goals from a law firm’s homepage, and both look nothing like The New York Times.

If you’re planning to build or redesign your own website, you need to know which type best fits your goals. Otherwise, you’ll spend months tweaking features that don’t matter and wondering why the site isn’t pulling in visitors, leads, sales, or subscribers.

Let’s break down 9 of the most common website types, what makes them useful, and how you can spot which one you need for your business. 

#1 E-Commerce Websites

There’s a common misconception that e-commerce websites are only for putting and selling products online. It’s technically true, but an e-commerce website is about building trust fast enough that someone will enter their credit card details and hit “buy”.

E-commerce websites usually include a product catalogue with filtering and search, shopping cart and checkout flow, secure payment gateway, customer reviews, and last but not least, returns and shipping policies.

Cart abandonment is the silent killer of online stores (e-commerce websites), as 7 out of 10 shopping carts are abandoned globally. Stats from the same research show that in 2024, shoppers abandoned 70.19% of all online carts. That’s a lot of abandoned carts, really. 

The reasons for cart abandonment are many, from additional shipping charges, mandatory account creation, and complicated checkout. But a well-structured e-commerce site anticipates friction, and therefore is built with: clear shipping info upfront, one-page checkout, guest purchase options.

Website Type Example

Astarta Parfums is a local niche perfume brand that nailed e-commerce fundamentals such as fast and clear product pages, simple checkout, and a heavy focus on mobile responsiveness. Their online shop echoed their values and sentiment with impeccable functionality and luxury product photos. The transition from product selection to purchase is smooth and user friendly, making Astarta Parfums e-commerce platform one of the better online shop examples out there. 

#2  Business Websites

When you think of business websites, imagine a modern, digital storefront. Whether you run a private clinic in London or a local niche perfume brand, your business site is usually the first place potential customers go to before deciding if your business is credible. 

Business websites usually include a clean overview of products or services, company background and values, contact details, location, and maybe the most important part – case studies or project portfolios. 

Local search visibility can make or break small businesses who rely on local customers to find and choose them. According to RedLocalSEO, 68% of users prefer to click on local 3-pack results in Google. If you build your business website to boost your local business, but you don’t think about local SEO, you will be invisible to people ready to become customers. 

Website Type Example

Take a look at Bencom’s website, even though you may not understand the copy, the structure is clear. It builds trust, it’s informative and useful, with a modern design. This reassures visitors that they’re dealing with a serious brand who can answer their needs.

#3 Portfolio Websites

A portfolio site is all about showing and very little about telling. Long service and process descriptions are replaced with showcases of actual work. People that are working in design, editing, writing, or photography often rely on portfolios to prove they can deliver, as clients want to see real examples before making a decision. 

Portfolio websites usually include visual galleries and project highlights, short descriptions, results, testimonials and client feedback. A contact form or a booking option on the website is a great way to shorten the path a potential client has to go through to hire or ask for more information. 

It has been proven that a strong portfolio website can shorten the sales cycle. A startup founder looking for a UX designer will most likely pay attention to your site if it displays five case studies with clear before-after results. With a portfolio website, your work can stand out instantly. When evaluating creative talent, hiring managers consider a candidate’s portfolio more important than their resume. 

Website Type Example

Sean Halpin is a product designer whose portfolio website accomplished the balance between personality and precision. The homepage introduces him as a designer and a front-end developer, while subtle animations give the experience a playful polish. Design choices turn Sean’s portfolio website from a static showcase to a memorable experience.

#4 Blog Websites

A blog website can look simple on the surface, and an untrained eye will say it’s just articles stacked in reverse chronological order. But every SEO expert will tell you a blog is the heartbeat of a brand’s online presence. 

A blog that’s given a lot of love in terms of organization, optimization and creativity will drive visibility, and give potential customers a reason to trust your expertise. Building long-term authority in any niche is achieved with consistent and strategic blog posting. 

Blog websites usually consist of regularly published posts, categories or tags for navigation, author biographies, internal links to other posts, and comment section as well as sharing option, for community building. 

According to HubSpot’s blogging statistics from 2024, 59% of B2B marketers view blogging as their most valuable content marketing tactic. From the same resource, a data showing companies that blog get 55% more website visitors, clearly illustrates that blogs are one of the most reliable ways to boost organic search traffic. 

Website Type Example

The Verge is a great example of a blog website that isn’t a static “about” page. It unfolds as a stream of timely stories, reviews, and long-form pieces, all curated like a high-end newsroom blog. The Verge is a real life example that blog websites aren’t just a station for articles, but a tool for driving engagement, authority, and reader habits, in a feed-like user experience.

#5 Nonprofit Websites

Every type of website has a different aim, so a nonprofit website, instead of selling a product, is about persuading people to care, while making it easy to take action, whether it’s by donating, volunteering, or spreading the word. 

A nonprofit website usually includes a clear mission statement, donation buttons with secure and simple payment options, sometimes even volunteer sign-up forms. Nonprofit websites that show impact stories, photos and videos see 18% higher donor retention rates, as stories are remembered up to 22 times more than facts, according to a study by Trajectory.

Website Type Example

Take a look at FoodCorps, a website done by Ginger. Their homepage is filled with real action, not just mission statements. Right up front, they invite people to “Join Our Corps”, “Donate”, or “Support”, tying storytelling with emotional visuals that bring the organization directly to the engagement paths. Every navigation choice is programmed to move you from learning about their work, to doing something about it. FoodCorps is more than a website, it’s built as a nonprofit engine, made to inspire participation.

#6 Event Websites

The main objective of event websites is to get people to show up. Music festivals, corporate conferences, theatre play, standup comedy shows, or a local fund raiser, the design and flow of event websites need to move visitors from curious to registered without much friction. 

Besides basic information about the event, these websites usually include clear ticketing and registration options. Agenda highlights, artists and speakers, as well as practical information such as the venue, FAQs, and policies are also usually included in the website layout. Past event photos, testimonials and press coverage can turn an event website into a community hub where people relive highlights and feel part of something bigger than just an event. 

Apart from awareness and basic information, event websites build excitement and hype, which directly impacts ticket sales and attendance. It’s proven that most registrations happen on mobile, so we would say the imperative for event websites is fast loading times and mobile responsiveness, if you don’t want to lose nearly half your audience.

Website Type Example

See Gigstix, a regional ticketing hub built for action. Clear event categories like Concerts, Festivals, Theatre, and Sports, fast browse to dates and venues, and direct and simple purchase from each event page, makes looking for events a fun and engaging experience. The homepage highlights key locations in Serbia and gives registered users an easy Your Account entry, keeping the discovery and checkout close together. 

#7 Educational Websites

For some time now, education isn’t limited to universities and schools, and that also stands for educational websites and platforms. From world renowned platforms such as Coursera or Udemy, to smaller local tutoring services, educational websites serve one core purpose: turning knowledge into an accessible digital experience. The challenge for these websites isn’t presenting content, it’s structuring it so people stay engaged and motivated to come back and continue learning.

Educational websites, in their structure and layout, often include course catalogs or lesson modules that have filtered search by subject, level, or instructor. Multimedia content is a large part of educational platforms, consisting of video lectures, quizzes, and interactive exercises. 

Progress tracking and certification options provide these platforms with more engagement, while resources for teachers or administrators give them even a more professional appeal, not only for learners. 

A research done my HolonIQ has predicted that EdTech will grow 2.5x from 2019 to 2025, reaching $404B in total global expenditure. This is driven by demand for flexible, on-demand education, accessible to many. For educational platforms, the quality of a site’s UX isn’t a side-detail, it’s a non-negotiable, and if lessons aren’t mobile friendly, students will drop off and never come back. 

Website Type Example

The Khan Academy learning platform makes complex subjects like calculus approachable through short and structured lectures. Progress dashboards make the learning process engaging and more interesting for the user. Their platform is proof that a free, clear and intuitive educational site can reach millions while staying simple at its core. 

#8 Forum And Community Websites

A forum or community-driven site thrives on user participation and engagement, and not on polished brand messaging. The value on these websites comes from conversations, shared opinions, knowledge, and peer-to-peer support. 

These platforms can even outlast trends, as people come back to certain topics not for design and messaging, but for the network itself. Communities drive long-tail search, so a single user question posted 10 years ago can still rank on Google today if the thread gets traffic and fresh replies. 

Forum or community websites, in their usual layout, include user profiles with reputation systems such as points, awards, badges, or ranks, topic-based discussion threads, and filtering for past conversations. Moderation tools, rules, and community guidelines are a must for forums, especially for the more liberal ones. 

Website Type Example

With over 430 million active users, Reddit works as a massive network of forums, subreddits, covering everything from ancient history to modern technology, aviation, DIY, relationships, and food. The design itself is secondary, as the real draw is how communities curate knowledge and surface the most useful answers through upvotes. The structure keeps engagement high, and that is why Reddit threads often rank on the first page of Google for obscure questions.

#9 News And Media Websites

News and media houses use these websites for real-time updates, live coverage, and information through articles, as these sites live and die on speed, trust and habit. If you’re publishing fast and updating often, you might have a chance to compete with platforms that keep people scrolling. 

News and media websites, when done right, usually include article templates with clear and engaging headlines, bylines, timestamps, and category paths. Strong recirculation with related stories, must read, hot topics, redirect users to their preferred section. Live coverage modules and quick updates for breaking news keep news websites relevant and reliable. 

One of the largest surveys on news consumption habits in the Chicago area, consisting of 1,004 people, found that 62% of those who surveyed use their smartphones to get local news all the time, or often. Compared to 52% who watch news on TV, we can draw the conclusion that mobile optimization is a must for news and media types of websites. 

Website Type Example

BBC News is a good example of a news and media website that combines authority with accessibility. The homepage updates constantly with breaking stories, and the content is organized into categories such as World, Business, and Science. The lack of the hard paywall keeps the BBC website one of the most widely accessed news sources globally, reinforcing its role as a trusted public service broadcaster. 

Conclusion

Your website doesn’t need to be everything, or any site for that matter. A business homepage doesn’t have to, and can’t function like Reddit, and a nonprofit website doesn’t need an e-commerce checkout flow. But clarity is everything. The key is to know the purpose of the site and build around it. 

We covered 9 types of websites, from business sites that establish credibility, to news outlets that keep peace with mobile habits, and community forums that thrive on participation. Each type of website succeeds when the design, structure, content, and functionality line up with the visitor’s intent.

So if you’re planning to build your own website, start with a simple question: what do you want someone to do after landing on your homepage? The answer will tell you which model will work best, and what will be better to leave out.