Business Resources GuideArticles and Resources for Business

A website is a name used to denote a compilation of web pages that can be essentially accessed through a software package, commonly known as a web browser (one example is the HTTP on the Internet). These pages, which are basically documents that are developed in the HTML or XHTML format, are made accessible from a ‘common root URL’ - or the website’s homepage as it is more commonly known. From this homepage, the web visitor / Internet user is enabled to browse through the entire website either with the utilization of the hyperlinks or the URLs of the various web pages.

Websites are generally viewed on computers and other devices, such as PDAs and cellular phones that are capable of connecting with the Internet. Websites can be grouped up into various types, according to their use or the services that they offer. Some of them include the following:

• Archive site - maintains and protects electronic contents that are important to the very point of their extinction.
• Business site – promotes and maintains a business or a service.
• Commerce or e-commerce site – promotes and offers goods for sale.
• Community site - enables people with related and similar interests to establish communication with each other through chat or message boards..
• Database site - searches and displays the particular database’s content that is looked for.
• Development site - furnishes data and other sources that are related to software development and web design, among others.
• Directory site - contains a wide array of contents that are usually segregated into categories and subcategories.
• Game site - provides a virtual ‘playground’ in which people meet and play.
• Information site – is full of data or content that is driven by the sole purpose of informing visitors. Such sites are not for commercial purposes.
• Search engine site / web portal site - provides general information and serves as an information gateway for other sites and resources
• Blog site or blogs – provides registration for online readings and posts online diaries or discussion forums.
• Wiki site - enables users to collaboratively edit the contents of a particular tpoic.

Yahoo! is undoubtedly the most famous example of a very large website. Having established itself as the most popular website, Yahoo! is an amalgamation of the numerous types of sites - it is a directory site and a search engine site, among others. Owing to the enormous and diverse amount of information that it contains, the Yahoo! site map is a blessed and useful feature in the Yahoo! website.
The Yahoo! site map is the blueprint for the Yahoo! website. Just like a book’s content table, the Yahoo! sitemap easily enables the visitors or users to find specific information or pages on the Yahoo! website that they need without having to browse many pages and waste precious time. This is because the site map gives a pantopic view or a visual outline of the Yahoo! website, with each location provided with active links to ensure the user to direct mobility to a specific location. Additionally, the Yahoo! site map allows web developers to put out links from across their sites, making it easier for search engine spiders to find these pages.

As the Yahoo! site map greatly enhances the search engine optimization of a site, this feature can serve as a valuable tool for online marketers, whose aim is to stimulate and direct traffic to their web sites.