Website development

Why is there a need to create a website?

The concept of website creation begins with clearly defining the goals and tasks of the future website.

Website Creation Goals

• Providing users with up-to-date information about the company;
• Increasing traffic;
• Reducing customer support calls;
• Simplifying the sales process;
• Streamlining feedback mechanisms;
• Increasing customer loyalty;
• Boosting sales by attracting new clients;
• Reducing costs for technical and/or informational support services;
• Growing overall sales volume;
• Improving and modernizing products and/or services.

Advantages of Creating a Website

• A website is a free 24/7 channel for delivering up-to-date information to visitors, clients, partners, and employees in any volume and format;
• Reduced spending on traditional advertising media;
• Unlimited product presentation possibilities;
• Free and informative feedback;
• Ability to identify the interests of potential and current customers;
• Increased company revenue through online sales;
• A platform for staff training and testing;
• A tool for exchanging confidential information between remote offices.

Ensuring these components in a timely manner helps a company build a positive image and reputation.
Often, the need to create a website arises before you fully realize the benefits it can provide. In other words, you may have a vague understanding of your future site’s goals and objectives, or a poor or incorrect understanding of what a good website actually is.

What Types of Websites Exist?

By service access level:

1. Open — all services are fully available to any visitor or user.
2. Semi-open — access requires registration (usually free).
3. Closed — completely restricted service sites of organizations (including corporate websites), or personal sites. These are accessible only to a limited audience. New access is typically granted via invitations.

By content type:

1. Static — all content is pre-prepared and delivered exactly as stored on the server.
2. Dynamic — content is generated by scripts (programs) using data from various sources.

By layout type:

1. Fixed-width — element dimensions are set and do not change based on screen resolution, size, or aspect ratio.
2. Fluid layout — pages automatically stretch to the full screen width. Essentially, this is a subtype of fixed layout with adaptive behavior.

By physical location:

1. Public internet websites.
2. Local websites — accessible only within a local network. These can be either corporate or personal sites hosted by a provider’s local network.

By information presentation method, volume, and problem domain, the following types of web resources can be identified:

Online presence for business owners (retail and services not always internet-based):

1. Business card site — contains basic info about the site owner (individual or organization): activity, history, price list, contact details, requisites, location map, or résumé.
2. Representative site — a more functional business card site with detailed service descriptions, portfolios, reviews, feedback forms, etc.
3. Corporate site — includes full information about the company, services/products, and news. Unlike the simpler types, it features advanced tools like content search and filters, event calendars, blogs, forums, and integration with internal systems (CRM, ERP). It may contain restricted access areas for employees, dealers, or partners.
4. Product catalog — provides detailed information about products/services: certificates, specs, expert reviews, and more — things that don’t fit in a price list.
5. Online store — a website with a product catalog allowing customers to place orders. Supports various payment methods, from COD and fax invoicing to credit card payments.
6. Promo site — a website dedicated to a specific brand or product, featuring extensive info about the brand and related promotions (contests, quizzes, games, etc.).
7. Quest site — a resource designed for solving interlinked logic puzzles competitively.
8. Informational resources:

Web Portals

Topic-specific site — a website providing specialized, narrow-topic information.

Thematic portal — a large web resource offering exhaustive information on a specific theme. Unlike basic topic sites, portals offer user interaction tools (forums, chats) and foster community engagement.

Web service — a service designed to perform specific tasks on the World Wide Web:

1. Classified ads board.
2. Web directory — e.g., Open Directory Project.
3. Search engines — e.g., Yahoo!, Google.
4. Email services.
5. Web forums.
6. Blogging platforms.
7. File sharing P2P service — e.g., Bittorrent.
8. Data hosting services — e.g., Skydrive.
9. Online document editing — e.g., Google Docs.
10. Photo hosting — e.g., Picnik, ImageShack, Panoramio, Photobucket.
11. Video hosting — e.g., YouTube, Dailymotion.
12. Social media — e.g., Buzz.
13. Combined web services (social networks) — e.g., Facebook, Twitter.
14. Specialized social networks — e.g., MySpace, Flickr.