12 types of websites and where to start

These types can overlap. A business site might include a blog, and a personal site might include a portfolio. You don't need a separate website for every job.

Treat the tool column as somewhere to start looking, not a requirement. The website's job comes first.

What these sites look like in practice

A business website could be a consultant's site with services, background and a way to get in touch. A portfolio puts the work itself first: a designer's projects, for example. A blog is built around posts rather than a fixed introduction to the person or business.

An online store is where visitors choose products and pay for them. That's a different job from a landing page, which asks for a particular action, such as booking a call or signing up. A link-in-bio site is simpler: someone follows your profile link and chooses where to go next.

A personal website gives you room for an introduction, interests and links to your work. It doesn't have to become a public diary. For an event or wedding, the content follows the occasion: the details people need and somewhere to respond.

A restaurant site might share its menu and location, then send visitors elsewhere to book or order. A nonprofit site explains the cause and gives people a way to volunteer or donate. An education site might introduce classes or hold learning material, while a news site centers on reporting and updates.

The distinction worth pausing over is whether you're presenting information or asking the site to handle something. Showing a menu isn't the same job as taking an order.

Choose a small version you can finish

For a beginner, I'd start with the smallest version that does the job. A portfolio doesn't need a blog attached to it. A business site doesn't need a store unless you're planning to sell through it.

What does your visitor need before they can act? Use that question to decide what belongs on the site, and leave the rest out for now. For a service business, that might mean explaining the service, showing relevant work and giving people a way to contact you.

Keep it small.

Landing pages, link-in-bio sites and focused personal sites are good starting choices when your content is limited. Business sites and portfolios also suit beginners when you keep the scope under control, rather than adding pages just to fill out a menu.

But "small" doesn't mean every kind of site should use the same builder. If taking payments is central to the plan, look at the checkout before spending time on the homepage. If publishing is the main job, look at how you'll add and organize posts.

Check the builder against your needs

Heya fits the small-site options in the table. It's a no-code builder, and you sign in with Google to publish. For bookings, you can use its Calendly embed; for forms, you link to a Google Form or a Tally form (there isn't a built-in form builder).

It doesn't have a built-in store or checkout either. You can link a button to your checkout or store page. That's an option for a site that introduces your products, but don't mistake it for running the store inside Heya.

If you want to use your own domain, Heya Pro Standard is $6 a month and includes 1 custom domain per account with HTTPS. Heya doesn't sell domains, so you bring one from a registrar.

For a store, compare the payment terms as well as the page editor. Core is the cheapest Wix plan that can accept online payments. Squarespace's store transaction fee is 2% on Basic and 0% on Core, Plus and Advanced.

Try the part you'll need most before committing: add a project, prepare a post, or check the route from a product page to payment.

Related guides: What is a one-page website?, Homepage vs landing page, Are websites still relevant? and Best designed websites.

More from Heya: All guides, Templates and Pricing.