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THE RIPE STUFF

23 May ‘19

Knowing The Difference: What’s The Difference Between Website and Webpage?

23 May ‘19

In: Web Design & Development, / By: Ripe Media

difference between website and webpage

When you run a business in the always-on, always connected world of mobile devices, apps, and cloud computing, your business needs a website. Or is that a webpage?

One of the challenges facing anyone without a strong tech background is navigating the terminology of tech resources. That gets more difficult when terms strongly resemble one another.

Take the terms app and application, for example. An app is software built around performing just one function, like the banking app on your phone. An application is software build around performing many functions, like a word processing program.

Similar, yes, but they aren’t the same thing. A website and a webpage share a similar kind of relationship.

So what’s the difference between website and webpage? Keep reading and we’ll help you see where they part ways.

What Is a Webpage?

You should think of a webpage as a kind of digital document that appears on the Web.

It calls for basic web programming knowledge to build a webpage. You use HTML to structure the document. You’ll deploy some CSS to adjust the look and feel of the document.

If your document needs some level of interactivity, you might use some JavaScript. A hosting service stores the HTML, CSS, and Javascript files on a server. You access those files with a web browser, that translates the code into something a human being can read and understand.

Much like an app, a webpage typically focuses on one thing or a single topic. For example, a philosopher might publish the complete text of a paper they wrote on a webpage to help publicize the ideas.

As a rule, webpages are the most simple kind of document you can publish on the Web.

Common Uses of Webpages

The simplicity of a basic webpage limits the things you can reasonably do with it. That’s why webpages remain rare, with a few notable exceptions.

One area where webpages prove very common is in sales and marketing. Marketers will often set up what they call landing pages or lead capture pages. These pages serve the sole function of capturing contact information for later marketing efforts.

A lead capture page entices the visitor to give their contact information, such as an email address or telephone number, in exchange for something valuable. The valuable thing is often some form of digital content. A few common kinds of content include videos, reports, and white papers that promise advice or exclusive industry-specific content.

Companies involved with some form of direct sales will often use a sales letter as the exclusive content on a webpage. A sales letter uses a variety of persuasive techniques to convince visitors that they want the product. Depending on the price and product, sales letters can run from comparatively short to quite long.

A somewhat more exotic use of a webpage is as an interactive digital resume. Rather than submit a paper resume, some people will create a webpage that lets recruiters hover over parts of the resume. Additional information about a job, skill, achievement, or part of a person’s education will display.

What Is a Website?

You can think of a website as a collection of interconnected webpages.

Let’s say you run a plumbing business. A single webpage can’t reasonably contain all the information a potential customer will need. At least, it can’t in a way that makes information accessible. Even a very basic website for your plumbing business will need a range of individual webpages, such as:

  • Homepage
  • Services page
  • About Us page
  • Contact Us page

You might even break down your services into individual pages, such as plumbing, heating/furnace, and air conditioning.

If you sell things from your website, you need even more sophisticated features. For example, you probably a connected inventory system for real-time updates, a shopping cart, and checkout features. That’s before you even consider payment gateway integration.

While an individual can probably stumble through developing a webpage on their own using a what-you-see-is-what-you-get page editor, a full-blown website usually calls for the services of a professional web developer.

Professional web developers and designers help you build a website that uses fast, efficient code and looks great when displayed online. They also help you integrate functionality, such as shopping carts and payment gateways.

Common Uses of Websites

Websites see use across a staggering array of areas. Online retailers, for example, use websites primarily as another avenue for product purchases.

Video game companies often allow users to play games right on their websites, sometimes for free and sometimes for a fee. They also use them as a way of passing on information about new releases, upcoming games, and company news.

Information sites, such as news sites, use their websites as a content delivery system. They deliver text and video content that sometimes mirrors what appears on their news channel, as well as providing original content or commentary.

Businesses frequently use their websites for multiple purposes. It’s a basic information source for existing customers and potential customers. It’s also a way of generated leads, securing sales, booking appointments, and solidifying branding efforts.

Social media sites focus their attention on user interaction with chat features, image/video sharing options, friends, and various ways of liking other users’ content. These sites often narrow their offerings to specific content types, such as image sharing or microblogging.

Parting Thoughts on the Difference between Website and Webpage

The difference between website and webpage is, at face value, about complexity. Websites collect multiple web pages to cover more ground.

At a more practical level, the difference is about scope. A webpage focuses on a very narrow topic or subject, such as a sales letter or a resume. Websites provide more broad-based information or functionality.

Ripe offers web design and development services for websites or webpages, as well as a range of marketing solutions. To learn more about our design and marketing services, contact Ripe today.

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