The functions of websites

Websites are created to fulfil specific functions. The most important include the image, information, communication and advertising functions.

Image functions

This is the most significant function of websites. It creates an image and evokes specific emotions. To evoke positive emotions among users, techniques that strengthen the perception of the company are used: coherent text, extensive descriptions, photos and videos. A company's image can be built from many details that form a whole, creating a genuine picture of the company on the Internet. Additional features that are directly associated with the company, such as online games, can promote the brand online even further. A positive impression among Internet users comes from visualising what the website offers. For online shops this will be a gallery of product photos; for a football club's website, a live online stream of a match. Internet users want to know exactly what they are dealing with, so they need to be given a product that is reflected in reality.

Image function

Information function

It partly overlaps with the image function but deserves a separate category. This function is built above all by substantive, valuable content that makes the website credible in the eyes of its users. Examples of such content are publications or reports related to the website's activities. This function can serve educational purposes and have a positive influence on the audience. One way of informing them is to prepare press materials and distribute them via the Internet. Newsletters are best suited to this kind of activity, as they let you inform your audience about topics they have chosen in advance.

Information function

Communication function

This is the process of exchanging information, and it can be carried out in many ways. A website should have a contact form, which makes the communication function possible. Administrators create forms in various ways, but they usually include a field for the message and fields for leaving contact details. They should be properly protected against spam bots, which send thousands of e-mails and can push the company over its transfer limit, thereby increasing costs. Forms, however, are not the only way of establishing and maintaining contact with Internet users. A discussion forum is an excellent tool that brings groups of users together
and encourages them to exchange views on a wide range of topics. This type of interaction is often used by auction and banking websites. Larger companies that rely on the Internet in their day-to-day operations use an online customer service centre. This is a special module on the website that allows customers to contact a member of staff, check their account balance, make a payment or report a technical problem. Customers like a personal approach, so they value this way of communicating with a business very highly.

Communication function

Advertising function

This is one of the most frequently used tools of online promotion. Its purpose is to inform customers about a new product or service and to influence their behaviour directly. Online advertising is a way of communicating with the market in order to increase the number of visits to websites or, in the case of commercial websites, to increase revenue. Creating an advertising message means choosing the right form of advertisement, which may be a banner or a contextual ad.