web site applications

The differences between a normal website design and a web site application are numerous. The first and foremost difference is the way the website is built and how the website behaves.

Let us take a look at a website design example from our team in Bury. A website that is designed with basic web pages, has no interactivity and has no functions in place for the owner of the website to change any of the content in any way. The website delivers this content and has no room for expansion and will not scale in any shape or form.

Now let’s take a look at a web site that is designed by our team working in Blackburn, this website has been designed to allow the owner of the website to add and edit content through a Content Management System (CMS). This becomes a website application and is considered to move in to the realms of website development and not just website design. Consider the following points:

  • The website performs a function, i.e. it does something
  • It requires programming knowledge to take data and organise it in a useful manner
  • The website is dynamic in that information and pages are called upon when necessary, i.e. On the fly
  • The website manages all the content on the site, i.e. creates links and HTML
  • It [can] simplify the task of adding content to a website
  • The website has a number of layers to it. The data layer, the presentation layer and the (data) storage layer

The list to the left is not exhaustive and there are many other elements to web applications and website development:

  • Web application software is generally much cheaper to distribute than desktop apps as all that is required is a browser, IE, Firefox, Chrome
  • The software is stored centrally, all updates are rolled out once at the top
  • Usage and user behaviour is easier to track as all actions are run through a central server.
  • Javascript and jQuery is now able at a point where online applications can mimic the look of gtraditional desktop applications


If you want to your website to the next stage, then you will need a web application. If you would like to discuss any of the following then contact our website design Bury team or our website design Blackburn team on the numbers at the bottom of our site or click here to use our contact form.

Here are some examples of some of the more well know website applications

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Hotmail
  • Googlemail and other Google Apps
  • Wikipedia