You already know from the title that website and web portal are two different things but how, that’s what we’re going to explain. Business persons are often left thinking when they have to decide whether to go with website or web portal. Most usually admit that they can’t differentiate between the two, so you’re not alone if that’s why you’re here.
Don’t despair though, we are going to make things clear to you today in this article. But first, why don’t you make a short detour and quickly go through these short reads about software performance testing and calculating the cost of your website redesign.
General Overview
The big difference between the website and web portal is that website is an online destination which can be accessed by a large audience, while web portal only serves a specific group of people. The content on the website is available to everyone who can access it and is less personalized while the content on the web portal is available only to the people who sign up for it.
However, modern web portals and websites are changing and have overlapping functions. There are websites that offer more personalized content to their users and there are web portals that have public facing pages where users other than those who have a username and password can consume content. A website is usually owned by an organization while a web portal is more user-centric.
In website there is no interaction between the user and the website, but in web portal the user and portal communicate with each other. In website the information sources are seldom updated while in web portal updates are made regularly. A website is not necessarily a knowledge domain but portal is a gateway to specific information.
Comparison
If you are stuck choosing between web portal and website, we’re here to your aid. Below is a short comparison between the two which may help you finalize your decision.
Audience
If you are a business owner and would like a large number of anonymous audience to access the information you want them know, then it is better to go for website. If your target is a specific group of people then go for web portal.
Control
If your focus is mainly on the management and delivery of the content that your users consume then going for a website will be better for you. However, if you want advanced control over what your users see then a web portal is what you should select.
IT
If the nature of your work doesn’t require your system to integrate with a lot of other business applications then a website should be your choice. But if you want your IT solutions to work smoothly and coherently with third party and internal apps then choosing a web portal will be better for you.
Final Words
To sum things up, when you are deciding between a portal and website, you need to keep the needs of your project, the team managing it and the resources you currently have. Portals can become websites and websites can become portals, so the technology that you invest in should be able to sustain long term for your company.
