People sometimes ask me to create a “web page” for them. Upon further questioning, I learn that what they actually want, is a web SITE. So what’s the difference between a website and a web page, and why is this important? Let’s find out.
Website Vs. Web Page, and Which One Do You Need for Your Business?
Difference between a website and a web page, short answer: A web page is a single page posted on a website. A website is a group of linked web pages that all live on the same hosting server.
Let’s explore the intricacies of this, so you can learn what you need to know about website publishing and what kind of website (or page) you need for your business.
The more understanding you have about how websites work, the better you can communicate your needs with your web designer.
What’s a website?
A website is the online home for your publication, be it your business, a niche publication (like a blog), or something else. A website is a LOCATION where multiple files live. Your website contains multiple pages, posts and other types of files.
If you have a basic business website, you probably have created about five main pages that can be clicked from your website’s main navigation. These might include the About page, Contact page, Services page, Testimonials page, Gallery page, for example.
Why is it called a website?
Why do we call it a web SITE? Because it’s a location where files live — the “address” online (literally, a server address) where you publish pages, posts and other files for people to view when they click on your site links.
Most people who are new to having websites at least know that they need to start with a domain name. Why? The domain “points” to the address online where your files live. Your domain should be listed in the front part of any URL someone types into a browser when trying to view files that you have uploaded and published to your website.
Think of websites that you visit — social media sites, shopping sites, news sites, and such. Each site has a domain name that you type when you want to visit that site. For example, Facebook.com, or CNN.com. Each of those is a website, where many different pages of content live.
Your sites is the same — you have a domain name, and then you’ll publish different pages covering different topics, and link them together, or link to them from other places like email, social media, or from a friend’s website.
What’s a web page?
A web page is a file that lives on a web site. The file typically uses the .html. .xml or .php extension. Other files can also live on your hosting server — you can upload files like PDFs, .jpg and .png images, and so forth. But these files are not considered web pages, in the way that your site’s About, Services, or Contact page are.
Why is it a web PAGE, and not a website?
A web page stands alone. Many web pages that are linked together, living on the same hosting server, comprise a web SITE.
Each time a “page” is added to a website, it’s saved as it’s own individual, unique file, with a file name.
Think of all the files that you save to your computer. You probably save documents (.doc), image files (.png, .jpg), PDF files and some others. On your own computer, you’re able to save these files to specific folders that you create.
Your website’s files work in much the same way. All of the files associated with your domain name must live on your hosting server, in order to view them live on the web.
What is hosting and why do you need it?
Your web pages and other files live on a hosting server. That’s why, when you order a website, you need to order a domain name AND hosting.
Files are “hosted” from a remote location online. When you log in as the main administrator, you get full access privileges to all the files, which means you can add, delete, edit, and replace files as needed, using a remote connection called File Transfer Protocol.
Website or web page?
How do you know if you need a website or a web page? If you’re looking to create a home for your business online, or if you’re researching a domain name that will be based on your company name, business offerings and brand, then what you want is a web SITE.
If you’re looking to establish your company’s presence on social media, then what you want is a web PAGE, for each platform where you intend to feature a profile, and post.
Adding web PAGES to your website:
To launch a dot-com for your business, ask for a quote on a webSITE. Most small business owners start out needing that basic home for their business, the 5-pager that visitors can click around on a menu and visit individual pages that help them learn about your company offerings.
If you ALREADY have a website, and now you want to add to it, then you should ask for a web PAGE (or pages).
Examples where you’d ask for a quote on web PAGE creation:
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- You haven’t yet added an About page that shares your professional bio. Now you want to tell the world about the passion behind your work, including your purpose and values.
- You’re launching a new program, such as a coaching program, and you want to cover all of the details on a single page (might call this a landing page) where you add a sign-up form to capture contact info from visitors so you can engage with them later.
- You’re ready to build out your site, and want to add something like a Case Studies page to the main navigation, then over time, link to individual case study pages from that main page.
- You’re selling a product, and you want all of the product details to live on one sales page which contains an order form for people to purchase said product.
Adding business PAGES to social media:
If you’re looking to create a business presence on social media, then you should ask for a PAGE on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc. These platforms technically run via an app, but they each have their own website. If you intend to post your business details there, then you’ll be logging into their WEBSITE, where you’ll create and manage your various PAGES.
Why search engines prefer that you launch a web SITE
Google and other search engines send out crawlers that index information pages found on the web. In fact, the first (main) page that kicks it all off for your site, will be named the index, or home page. The index page serves as the starting point, which then links out to your main navigation (static) pages (About, Contact, Services, etc.)
If you have published a website, and are hoping that it will be found by people searching for what you offer, then you’ll want to at the very least, add those five signature pages.
What pages go into your website’s main navigation?
Every small business website has main navigation pages, in some form or another. These are known as static pages, and they’re linked from the top menu of your website and other spots like the footer or sidebar.
Typically, these will be:
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- Home (can be a static “Welcome” page, or your home page can be a feed that shows your blog posts).
- About – shares info about your company
- Services – details your offerings to clients
- Testimonials – good words from happy customers
- Contact – need to add this in case people want to get in touch
What other pages might you add to your main navigation?
Other pages that you might swap out for some of the above listed ones depend on what you sell. Sometimes business owners want to add Products, Case Studies, Work Samples, Press Room, Gallery, Advantages, Sign Up, Resources, Newsletter or Tips. Again, these will appear in the top navigation.
If you plan to publish a Tips, Press Room or Newsletter page, you’ll want to link from each of those pages to what’s known as deep content pages of your site.
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- Write and publish an article that lives on a single page. Link to the page where the article lives, from the Articles page. Do this each time you add a new article, to form a list of articles or resource library.
- Save issues of your company newsletter to their own page. Link to each issue from the Newsletter page.
Communicate your need for a website vs. a web page
Tell your web designer if you need a website versus a web page, so you can get quoted fairly and accurately for the project. The more information you provide, the smoother your quote will go and the quicker you can get started on your project.
When obtaining a quote, include as many details as possible, such as:
- Things you’d like to include on the page (or site)
- What content you have ready to go
- Goals of your site
- What’s already written and what you’ll need created
- Which parts still need to be developed
- What visuals need to be created (logo, head shots, product images, etc.)
- Any other pertinent information
Get a project estimate
Do you need a quote for a website design or web page creation? Contact us and tell us how we can help. We’ll get back to you soon with a project overview, estimated timeline, ballpark quote, and next steps.