For both personal reasons and business reasons, there are many reasons why you might wish to, or even need to, create a website. This article reviews some of the main reasons why people create a website for business or personal use or both.

Why Create a Business Website

A business website can function in multiple ways. If you have a retail store, a website can make your product line and location known to new customers who no longer use the print Yellow Pages as their go-to spot for finding a new business. By linking to Google Maps or other services, you can also include a map and allow customers to get directions from wherever they are. Even if you do not sell online, you can both describe and display products. In addition, you may want to further entice visits with coupons or encourage people to sign up for your newsletter in which you write-up your monthly specials, new merchandise, or featured products.

Setting up to sell your product or service online is another reason why people build a website. If you do wish to sell online—either instead of, or in addition to one or more retail sales locations—you can set up an ecommerce site and expand your selling abilities. Webhosts with an ecommerce bent offer plans that include the key elements you need to get setup, including website builders, shopping carts, SSL certificates, catalog management, links to shippers, support for opt-in email campaigns, some credits for Google AdWords and other, similar programs, and more.

A business website can also be used for domain parking. In this scenario, you register a domain name, park it with a web host, and permit pay-per-click or other advertising to be placed on the page to earn you money. With Google AdSense, for example, you may place text, image, or video advertisements on your website.

You can also become an affiliate and/or reseller and earn money that way. By directing people to a quality product and providing them with fine customer service, you can make money from a product or service, even though you yourself don't produce the product or directly provide the service. Affiliates and resellers can connect to a wide variety of brands, including booksellers like Amazon, web hosts like GoDaddy, and others.

People also create websites to help them in pursuing their business. A college professor or other instructor might create a website to use with students, for example.

Why Create a Personal Website

Both business owners and people who don't own businesses create personal websites, separating their personal life from their work lives. People create their personal websites for a variety of purposes: sharing information about themselves in ways that FaceBook and other social networking site may not allow; sharing information about and the fruits of a hobby; staying in touch with family; job seeking; or organizing an event in such a way that there isn't any mail or phone calls to deal with.