On the Internet, there are over 2 billion websites. You’ll learn about many types of websites, how to design for them, and which ones make the most sense for you to work on as a freelance web designer in this article.
The Internet is a vast expanse of information with a plethora of websites and content to explore. Knowing what the most popular sorts of websites are and which ones give the best prospects for you to build for clients is helpful as a web designer. You’ll discover that some people are better at freelancing than others. Let’s take a look at 12 of the most common website types.
Different Types of Websites
Portfolio Website
Your own portfolio website is likely to be the first website you ever construct as a designer. A portfolio website is a website that showcases and promotes examples of a person’s previous work. A portfolio webpage is simply a visual CV, and it is most commonly utilized by persons who work in the creative area. It showcases your creative abilities and highlights your greatest work in the goal of attracting potential clients or companies.
You may create and develop your own website with Webflow, a tool that helps you make bespoke websites, because the material isn’t too hard. However, numerous platforms, such as Squarespace or Wix, make it simple for anyone to quickly and easily establish a portfolio website. To use the website builder tool and have it hosted on their platform, you must pay a monthly or yearly charge. They can be expensive to maintain, but they normally include some level of customer care to assist with any concerns or difficulties that may emerge, so it’s worth it.
The sky’s the limit when it comes to portfolio website design. Each portfolio site should be distinct and reflect the work’s designer or originator. The most important thing to remember, though, is to let the art speak for itself. Instead of a complicated website design with flashy animations, you want to wow potential clients and employers with your work and encourage them to contact you for your services. As a result, you may want to go for a minimalist design style to let the work speak for itself while also promoting a positive user experience.
Personal Website
A personal website’s purpose is to be just that: personal. It could be for no other reason than to post and discuss thoughts, rather than to sell something or promote work. It can often include a blog, a one-page resume with links to other social media platforms, or whatever else someone wishes to post.
You won’t be requested to develop many personal websites as a web designer unless it’s as a favor to a friend or family member who wants to start and discuss a project they’re working on.
If you’re new to website design, though, this could be a good way to acquire some practise in a low-pressure setting. Try creating a simple one-page website that grabs the user’s attention and communicates the most crucial information about the person for whom the site is intended. Because you won’t have as much stuff to work with, it might be a great task.
Blog
A blog is a website that is updated on a regular basis with articles, commonly known as blog entries. These websites might be managed by a single person, a group of people, or even a corporation. A blog’s objective is to give information about a specific topic in order to attract readers. Every blog is different, but the majority of them have a lead generation purpose. You may rank for specific keyword search terms and produce quality traffic, which could lead to new consumers, by producing well-written and researched content.
Most blog websites appear to be templatized, and this is on purpose. The design of a blog website needs to be structured. These websites make use of a content management system (CMS) in the backend (content management system). A content management system (CMS) allows you to generate, manage, revise, and publish information using a user-friendly interface. Rather than paying for a web developer to maintain and add fresh content to the blog, this makes it simple for anyone to do so.
Focus on the site’s structure when developing a blog website. Consider how you’d like to present a collection of blog content. Understand that the material will vary as new articles are added, but how do you want the title, author, article summary, read more button, and other information displayed? On a blog website, a decent user experience is critical so that users can simply locate what they’re searching for.
Business Websites
Nowadays, almost every company has a website. It’s a dedicated website where a company may showcase what they offer, honours and accolades, previous examples of work, customer testimonials, details on services they provide, and just about anything else that helps tell the storey of what the company does and how it helps people.
A business website’s design and branding are essential in order to differentiate oneself from the competitors. When building these types of websites, it’s critical to get as much information about the client’s business as possible up front. Do they already have a logo, brand colors, a tone of voice, and a photography style? Or are they a relatively new organization in need of assistance in these areas as well?
As a designer, you have the potential to not only create a fantastic website presence for your client’s company, but also to provide logo and branding services that they may use for the rest of their lives.
eCommerce Websites
An eCommerce website is an online store where customers may purchase goods. To reach a bigger customer base, several firms offer both physical store locations and shops as well as eCommerce websites. You can reach an endless number of potential clients when your customer lives on the internet.
For designers, this is a popular website to work on. Every day, new businesses open their doors, and they’re searching for designers to help them develop a memorable web presence from which to sell their wares. You might specialize in designing specific sorts of websites or work with specific clientele as a web designer. When you choose to focus on eCommerce websites, you’ll have more options to work with clients, and they’ll be eager to pay you handsomely because the goal is to produce revenue.
There are numerous aspects to consider when developing these websites. Consider the brand’s presence and how to distinguish their product from the competitors. Is there more than one family of products, perhaps with distinct flavours or sizes? With so much choice, it’s critical to ensure that the buyer understands what they’re purchasing.
Social Media Websites
Popular social networking platforms include Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. They are typically developed to let users contribute their own thoughts and ideas, as well as to just connect with others. These services let users customize their feeds by uploading words, photographs, and videos. These sites tend to keep readers coming back for new content because they have automatic refresh and infinite scroll features.
These types of websites typically require backend upkeep, such as testing and problem fixes, after they have been created. There may be occasional design improvements, but until there is a major relaunch, the design may not alter much visibly to the user. Most social media firms have their own design team that focuses on design and development, but as a contract designer, you may have the option to collaborate.
Membership Websites
A paywall is used on membership websites so that users can access the content. These are usually paid for on a monthly or yearly basis and are continuously updated with new content to keep users coming back and renewing their membership.
The CMS underlying a membership site must be simple to use because the objective of the site is to publish fresh content frequently. As a result, businesses frequently utilize Kajabi or Teachable to design and manage their membership sites. They may seek design assistance in the beginning to establish a branded presence on the platform.
Wiki or Community Forum Websites
Wikipedia is one of the most well-known and frequently accessed websites. Wikis can be made on any topic. A wiki is a website where multiple people can collaborate on content, edit it, and make changes to it.
Websites for community forums offer an organised manner to post discussions on a given topic. Users can create new topics or join existing ones by registering. The WordPress support forum is an excellent example of a forum that helps users solve technical concerns.
The design of these websites is usually non-existent due to their open-source nature. You’ll see that Wikipedia isn’t well-designed; it’s essentially just HTML with little CSS styling. If you wanted to establish your own community forum, though, you could be more creative with the design and work with a developer to make the backend run smoothly.
Magazine and News Media Websites
Magazine and news websites have a similar layout to blogs, although they are more focused on journalism than on personal interests and opinions. These websites have useful and instructional articles, photographs, and videos. The magazine and news sector has transitioned from a print-only experience to a digital format, which is normally available through a subscription service, over the last few decades.
The New York Times, for example, seldom updates the design or collaborates with specific designers. They generally collaborate with design, development, and maintenance agencies or companies.
Video Streaming Websites
Over the last decade, video streaming sites such as YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and a slew of other competitors have exploded in popularity. Some are free, while others need a fee.
Similar to social networking websites, after the skeleton is designed, the majority of the upkeep falls to the technical side. These websites necessitate a lot of backend maintenance due to the high volume of visitors and bandwidth streaming. Streaming services typically have their own design and development teams that concentrate on long-term improvements.
Web Portals
Web portals are frequently established for a company’s, organization’s, school’s, or institution’s internal use. They usually require a login and provide a customised experience based on the user’s preferences. For example, a university may have a web portal where students can access course information, or a firm may utilise a portal to allow employees to request time off and examine pay stubs.
Web portals are more complex than most other websites, requiring more complex design and technology. As a result, businesses frequently outsource design, development, and IT maintenance to a third party.
Landing Pages
A landing page is a one-page website designed to encourage users to do a certain action as part of a marketing campaign. The information and design should be concise and direct the user to a single call to action (CTA) (call-to-action).
For example, a firm might wish to use a landing page to generate leads by offering a free download or access to a video in exchange for an email address. A landing page could also be used to inform a user about an app and direct them to download and use it.
Despite the fact that there are many services that make it simple for businesses to develop their own landing pages, it is still a highly sought-after expertise. Knowing how to create a successful landing page can be a lucrative talent to have as a designer, and you’ll almost certainly get repeat business.
On sites like 99designs, Fiverr, and Upwork, you can also try your hand at developing landing pages for clients. It’s a fantastic way to get started with web design, build your portfolio, and be paid for your efforts.
Learn to Create Your Own Websites
Now that you’ve learned more about the most common sorts of websites, you have a better concept of the types of web projects you could be able to work on as a designer.