Five Types of Web Sites

Sections:
1) Introduction
2) Web Directories
3) Search Engines
4) Understanding a URL
5) Five Types of Web Sites
6) Evaluation Criteria
7) Quiz

When looking at any Web page, it is important to ask yourself at least three questions:

• Who put it up on the Web?
• When?
• Why?

How current is the information presented? What was the agenda of the Web site's creator: to inform, entertain, persuade ...? Often the Web site's domain name (.com, .org, etc.) will provide a clue.

Here are five common types of Web sites:

Business and Marketing
A business or marketing Web sites is one sponsored by a commercial enterprise that is typically trying to sell or market their services or products. The URL address frequently ends in .com. Examples of business Web pages are: Ford Motor Co., Hewlett Packard, Amazon.com.

News
A news webpage is one whose purpose is to provide timely information about current events and issues. The URL address frequently ends in .com. For example: San Francisco Chronicle, CNN, MSNBC.

Advocacy
An advocacy Web site is one sponsored by an organization to influence opinion. The URL address of this type of page frequently ends in .org. Examples of advocacy pages: the Democratic Party, Green Party, Human Rights Council, Amnesty International.

Informational
An information Web site's purpose is to present factual information. This includes reports, research findings, and general topical information. The URL address frequently ends with .edu or .gov. For example: San Jose Sate University, State of California, United States Department of Defense.

Personal
A personal Web page is created by an individual for his/her own personal interests. The URL often has a tilde (~) somewhere in the address.