Classification of websites by types of webpages

A website is a collection of web pages about an entity that are hosted as a domain in a web server on the internet and accessed through a browser. The webpages can either be static or dynamic. Presented below is my classification of websites by types of webpages.

Static webpages

A static webpage contains information that does not change. The content of the webpages is fixed and it displays the same information to every visitor. The webpages are delivered as it was stored, remains the same and does not change automatically.  Static website will generally provide consistent, standard information for an extended period of time. Although it may be updated periodically by its owner, the process of editing the text, photos, navigation menus and other content is done manually and may require basic website design skills and software. Static webpages  are the most basic type of webpages  and are the easiest to create.

Dynamic webpages

A dynamic website contains information that changes, depending on the viewer, the time of the day, the time zone, the viewer’s native language, and other factors. These pages are dynamically generated by a web application that is stored either on the client computer or on the website hosting server.

Criteria for classifying websites

Like any other venture, there is the need to define your purpose before starting. Therefore, there is the need for a web designer and/or the website owner to have a clear definition and understanding of the purpose of the website, the task/activities it should provide and the type of content it needs and the type of visitors that it will be attract. These information is very important because there determines the size of the website, its design features and functions, controls and navigation. Presented below is a classification of websites.

 A website can have many features and functions; it can be designed in various ways, style, fashions and with different types of content.  Most times, the contents are dedicated particular an individual or an entity or to a particular topic or for a purpose and its content can change from time to time. Also, a website can contain links to other websites and this makes it a difficult for user to clearly distinguish between individual websites in terms of their purpose, content, topic and whatever.

Websites, like any other entity can be classified into various categories using different criteria. There are basically three criteria that have been used to classify websites:

• Type of the webpages (this is presented below)
• Domain name extension
• Ownership, and
• Purpose

Any website can be classified using the above criteria but there is the need for a website to be dedicated to a particular purpose. However, due to the fact that its functions, features and content can change, it is very difficult to clearly classify all websites into distinct categories using these criteria and thus they may be overlap. Also, because websites contains hyperlinks to other websites, it becomes further difficult for users to clearly to distinguish between individual website.

As discussed above, a website is made up of webpage can either be static or dynamic.

1. Static Websites

A static website is a collection of static webpages with fixed content. Each webpage is coded in HTML and displays the same information to every visitor at all times. Static sites are the most basic type of website and are the easiest to create.  A static site can be built by simply creating a few HTML pages and publishing them to a Web server.

It is necessary to pint out here that the owner of the website has the right to change the content of its webpages and website at any time. Most times, this is done manually and not automatically by a web application.  Static webpages can be update manually at any time. Images are commonly used to effect the desired appearance and as part of the main content. Audio or video might also be considered “static” content if it plays automatically or is generally non-interactive. Most common websites are static websites.

2. Dynamic websites

Dynamic websites are made up of dynamic webpages that changes automatically by a web application depending on some factors like characteristics of the viewer, the time of the day, the time zone, the viewer’s native language, and other disability factors. They are required development Web software that may include updating a database. This web software can be installed either in the client-side (computer) or in server-side (website hosting server). A dynamic website can contain client-side scripting or server-side scripting to generate the changing content, or a combination of both scripting types. These sites also include HTML programming for the basic structure. A dynamic  site can display the current state of a dialogue between users, monitor a changing situation, or provide information in some way personalized to the requirements of the individual users. AN example of a dynamic website is www.computerhope.com.

It is necessary to state that most dynamic websites still has some static content. For example, only the homepage of www.computerhope.com is dynamic.

Thank you very much.

Augustus Zekaryah

———–

Thank you very much for reading this blog. Presented below is a list of other articles on websites that might be of interest to you.

1. What is a website?
2. Classification of websites by domain name extension
3. Classification of websites by purpose
4. Classification of websites by ownership

Please drop your comments as you read them because your feedback is very important to us. It will help us to improve.

We also encourage you to permit us to include you in our mailing list, by clicking the mailing list check point

Regards

Augustus Zekaryah