Let‘s start with the staggering key statistic—there are over 2 billion websites online as of 2023, with over half a million new sites launched every single day.
As an entrepreneur who‘s been building websites for 20 years, I occasionally get asked:
"With SO many sites out there already, does it even make sense to launch another website?"
My answer? Abso-freaking-lutely. I‘ll explain why website real estate remains ripe for the taking regardless of how crowded things seem already.
But first, let‘s dive deep on the current website landscape, so you really understand the website ecosystem in 2024 and where things might be headed…
Website Growth Goes Vertical
We‘ve seen massive hockey stick growth in websites over the past decade alone:
Dating back just ten years shows 900 million sites globally. Fast forward to today past the pandemic-fueled digital boom and we blew past 2 billion.
Based on these growth trajectories, we could realistically see over 4 billion total websites by 2030.
And it‘s not just the total number of websites accelerating. We‘re also seeing new sites getting built faster than ever before.
Roughly 576,000 new websites now go live daily according to tracker sites. That translates into new 17+ million websites per month!
The forces driving this unprecedented growth?
- Cheap, accessible web hosting and domain registration
- Intuitive site builders requiring no coding
- Global connectivity reaching developing markets
- Ecommerce adoption among entrepreneurs
The barriers that once existed around cost, tools, infrastructure and knowledge have largely dissolved over the past decade.
And these downward barriers are colliding with upward demand drivers, as businesses must move online and individuals seek digital presence.
The result? Massive website proliferation across languages, geographies, sectors. Website creation has been democratized!
This means that while the total number of websites climbs exponentially over time in a "hockey stick" trajectory…
The variety and diversity of those sites expands vertically – with more languages, specialties and niche sites blossoming that previously couldn‘t be supported.
Let‘s explore the types of websites taking off globally…
Breakdown of Leading Website Categories
Websites actually segment into several ecosystem categories, including:
Business Sites
The most straightforward sites…but also the category creating the widest variety as exponentially more small businesses move online. Today there are:
- 200+ million small businesses globally
- Over 30 million small businesses just in the US
- 99.9% of US businesses are SMBs with under 500 employees
Translation – there are 10s of millions of potential new SMB sites yet to be launched as offline businesses transition to digital presence!
Content Sites
Publishing platforms like WordPress and Medium have similarly enabled endless varieties of sites for creators to self-publish content.
Every day over 63 million blog posts go live alongside over 500 million tweets sent. Most content ends up fragmented across social channels…but consolidating content onto owned websites results in over 50% more traffic.
So as more creators realize consolidating content is the path to audience growth, content sites will continue to proliferate.
Community Sites
People are hungry for community, especially in 2024…and vibrant communities require dedicated digital hubs.
- Reddit only has ~130k active sub-reddits currently
- Facebook groups total over 1 billion today
- Yet only a fraction have their own community sites
With developers release community-focused web templates every month, we‘ll continue seeing exponential community website growth in areas like:
- Gaming sites
- Local interest sites
- Identity sites
There remains essentially unlimited potential in community sites.
Commerce Sites
Ecommerce has exploded in recent years thanks to simplified dev platforms like Shopify and Wix. Today ecommerce accounts for:
- 20% of all purchases but…
- Just 3% of sites are storefronts!
Again—suggesting most retailers, merchants and sellers have yet to leverage sites…pointing to 10x+ imminent growth in ecommerce sites alone.
Add NFT galleries, virtual stores in AR/VR and embedded social commerce…
We‘re still just scratching the surface of digital commerce websites.
Complexity Rising: AI, VR, Neural Nets & Beyond
While baseline platforms like Wordpress and Squarespace have simplified launching bread-and-butter sites…
We‘re seeing web technology grow vastly more complex on certain fronts with early adoption of:
-
AI web experiences – Sites powered by ML recommendation engines and chat interfaces
-
AR/VR sites – Immersive sites that will gain mass appeal with Metaverse adoption
-
Neural-backed apps – Sites running predictions via neural nets and deep learning
And other emerging complex site tech like 3D gaming integrations, voice navigation, biointerfaces…
The website landscape will grow exponentially more advanced amidst these launches measured in the millions over the next decade.
Yet the paradox is just as more advanced technologies shift baseline website expectations…
Simplified no-code DIY site builders also lower barriers allowing anyone to carve out space in the ecosystem.
Democratization and proliferation continue to offset complexity.
Now let me switch gears and address the individual thinking about their first—or next—website launch…
With over 30 years combined running a digital agency, advising startups and investing in them…I‘ve picked up a few nuggets of wisdom when it comes to strategically approaching websites.
Here are my key pieces of expert advice:
Claim Your Digital Territory
Primitive as most new sites might seem, each one planted represents turf claimed online. This matters more given website proliferation.
With businesses meekly debating whether they "really need" a website in 2024 and individuals doubting blogs matter amongst social noise…
The decisive 1% quietly stake digital territory while doubters wait on the sidelines stuck in analysis paralysis.
Don‘t overthink if your current site idea might seem basic, niche or "already done.” All early digital territories sound stupid in hindsight years later when they‘re resoundingly successful.
YouTube was for cat videos, Facebook was for college kids, blogs were online diaries. Almost all initially successful sites started niche and basic before catching fire and snowballing based on execution over ideas.
Match Sites to Stage
Advertising agencies pressure SMBs that launching sites means going all-in on customized designs, complex integrations and high-end hosting from day one.
Too often this leads budget-conscious businesses to delay having any site at all out of perceived expense or complication.
Start lean instead – especially for early or side projects.
- Grab a template site on Squarespace to test demand
- Use free tiers of web hosting services
- Direct traffic to dead simple landing pages
As traction grows organically, you reinvest revenues into expanded sites.
Don‘t mistake initializing simple affordable sites for lack of ambition. Ruthlessly pare away unnecessary features until only core user value remains.
Buffer and Grammarly MVP‘d ultra-lean initial offerings in order to sustain rapid scaling without collapsing foundations.
Prioritize nimbleness over robustness until market validation forces infrastructural investment.
Obsess Over Customer Journeys
When evaluating existing site performance or mapping new site plans, dropout rates reveal what portions of customer journeys fail.
Yet rarely do founders examine holistic site analytics asking:
"How far do our average visitors get through desired funnels before abandoning?"
For example:
- Do blog subscribers read beyond latest posts?
- Do ebook downloaders actually open & read?
- Do course sign-ups engage with content?
Conversion metrics are vanity…engagement metrics reality.
Map then optimize customer click journeys across your sites funnels relentlessly. graduated engagement per visitor marks successful conversion more than aggregated figures.
And holistic journey analytics influence UX, IA, content planning and feature roadmaps.
Embrace Site Personalization
Basic web personalization leveraging visitor data to tailor experiences boosts conversion over one-size-fits all navigation:
- Recommended content
- Segmented offers
- Conditional displays
Start by identifying key inflection points in site journeys – product page additions, content downloads, email submits…
Then set triggers to deliver value exactly when interest spikes predictably.
Welcome sequences via email eliminate critical post-signup abandonment. Smart dynamic CTAs can increase email signup conversions 300%. One-to-one video sales prospecting outperforms generic outreach 3x.
But despite proven ROI, under 50% of businesses personalize sites citing complexity.
In reality, self-serve tools like Lemlist and Tour My Funnel now enable personalization within minutes using simple drag-drop interfaces.
Prioritize Privacy
With regulators worldwide updating privacy laws…
And consumers anxious about data usage…
Ethical handling of visitor information separates sustainable sites from those skirting violations.
Beyond legal obligations, limit data collection tightly to only required metrics. Seek explicit consent frequently as visitors traverse journeys.
Notify if collecting sensitive information like locations or biometrics even when permitted.
And provide account level visibility into what visitor data gets captured with ability to request removal.
Trust Determines the Winners
At 2 billion sites today and 4 billion around the corner…
Capturing finite visitor attention requires building digital trust through the site craftsmanship discussed above – across design, content and ethics.
So rather than feeling intimidated wondering "why launch another site?”…
Realize that endless global demand outpaces possibly infinite digital shelf space thanks to democratization trends.
For those bold enough to build trust and authority within niche communities – website proliferation grantsPermissionless permission to thrive.
So pick your space, plant your flag…and start building!
I‘m excited to welcome your next digital territory officially online 🙂