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The Internet may have a nice simple name, but it is a small word for such a large and tangled mess of data.  Almost every website is uniquely implemented (though the jury is out on whether that is a good thing or not).  However, it is possible to divide websites into rough groups or types of websites, based on their constituent elements.  Here is a list of some of the different types of website.  Although it is by no means inclusive, it is difficult to think of sites which do not have one of the following basic purposes.

Directories and Indexes (such as Google, Yahoo, a personal links page or a price comparison site)
Corporate Information (such as Intelligent Finance, DTZ,)
E-store/Internet Sales & Distribution (such as Topshop.co.uk, or Amazon)
Networking (such as Facebook, Myspace, Wikipedia or YouTube)
Portfolio (such as DavidHindley.com, Banksy.co.uk)
Activity/Interaction (such as MrMen.com)
Resource/Media Banks
Record Keeping and Data Analysis (such as statcounter.com, or marketleap.com)

Most successful websites contain a combination of more than one element from the above list.  The BBC’s website has almost all the elements of a website, providing interactivity, games, streaming media, forum capabilities, customer service, corporate information and user submitted content of all kinds. 

Indeed, many websites cannot even be categorised by the above list, since they contain so many of the elements. 

Web solutions can do much more than represent the business online, they can provide substantial aids to business procedure, especially for record keeping and tracking procedures.  The dynamic nature of web programming makes it an ideal and cost effective way to virtualise your workflow.  Creating dynamic procedures for small business can save a lot of money and time spent on painstaking procedure, whilst enabling accurate logging and document generation.

Directories and Indexes
Directories organise data or data sources.  A directory may be the whole of a website, or it may form just a single page or part of a page.  Wikipedia pages have a directory of related links at the bottom of the page. Yahoo is a directory with networking capabilities.  A personal webpage may have a directory of links.  Google is an indexing webpage, search engine and networking site.  In general, a directory can refer to an submitted list of items, whilst index refers to lists which have been researched by ‘spiders’ or pieces of code which follow links around the internet and analyse the data themselves.

Corporate Information
Almost all sites display corporate information for marketing or customer services reasons.  If a website does not seem to try and describe the parent organisation at all, there is normally a complicated explanation, often unlawful in nature.  Websites for smaller businesses may only display corporate information, like a virtual brochure, whilst almost all larger organisations try to provide added value in one form or another, through downloads, online customer services, interactivity, user submitted content or forums.   

E-store/Internet Sales and Distribution
Paid or unpaid, certain websites are dedicated to letting customers create accounts online to access resources.  These resources may be virtual, and accessible straightaway, or physical, and need to be transported physically by post or courier.  These websites often have a shopping basket or similar facility, and all kinds of items can be obtained in this way, from a photograph for use in a presentation, to shoes, to custom designed business cards or reprographic services, to access to image libraries and databases online, to software purchases.  This kind of technology can be used by companies to securely transfer data between offices and colleagues, and could use a log in and a shopping cart in exactly the same ways as a internet store.  Some internet stores have added networking functionality to their sites, and customers at many webstores can now discuss their past or present purchases with other customers.  A financial management site, such as online banking facilities, is an example of an e-distribution network, allowing users as it does the ability to access their account information online (which forms the end product of a banking service) through a log on.

Networking Sites
Networking sites are largely sites created to generate a lot of traffic, whilst providing the users with a chance to create a personalised space online within the parent site.  Users can customise their page, add sound, text, images and video and link to friends on the network.  A networking site is a mini-internet all by itself providing functionality in exchange for traffic, notoriety and advertising revenue. A user forum on a large corporate site is a networking system, like imdb.com and its parent retail giant Amazon.  Ebay (a place where users can exchange their unwanted items for other users cash) is a retail network.

Portfolio 
A portfolio can sometimes be mixed up with a corporate information site.  It’s interesting to keep the two separate however, since the words we use inform our prejudices.  A portfolio site is a chance for a business, organisation or individual to express their creativity in a slightly less formalised way than a corporate information site.  A portfolio site expresses by the products created and displayed, unlike information which is largely abstracted or text-based.

Activity/Interaction
Many companies, especially those whose primary market is children, use activities and interaction on their websites to boost their website traffic and brand awareness.  Websites of all kinds may use interactive elements to engage or educate their visitors, often involving animations, videos, or games.  Some websites combine activity with networking, and users can submit their own content, vote and talk about the site.

Resource/Media Banks
Webpages may be used to distribute freely information or media.  Sites might distribute images, text or media in their original form.  This kind of distribution is often based upon a resource database, where updated resources are automatically added to the website and indexed.

Record Keeping and Data Analysis
Dynamic web technology is a great way to keep track of data.  A simple piece of script can track website visitors and their location.   Record keeping web technology can keep track of and distribute records of visitors, usage, schedules, documents, change control, personnel procedure and office and business procedures and statistics of all kinds.  Using web technologies it is possible for a system designer to create dynamic procedures of all kinds for businesses of every shape and size.

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