What Websites Do
A taxonomy of website capabilities — publish, capture, transact, authenticate, communicate, process.
Most websites combine multiple capabilities in ways that create compounding complexity. A simple blog that publishes content has one level of complexity. Add user accounts to that blog and you've doubled your architectural concerns. Add the ability to capture leads through forms and you've multiplied the complexity again. Add e-commerce transactions and you're now managing an entirely different system.
The Six Functional Categories
1. Publish & Present
Display information to visitors. Examples: blogs, landing pages, documentation, portfolios, case studies. Platforms: WordPress, Ghost, Webflow.
2. Capture
Collect information from visitors. Examples: contact forms, newsletter signups, lead capture, surveys. Platforms: Wix, Squarespace, custom forms.
3. Transact
Accept payment and manage commerce. Examples: e-commerce stores, booking systems, marketplace transactions. Platforms: Shopify, WooCommerce, custom payment integration.
4. Authenticate & Personalize
Create user accounts and customize experiences. Examples: membership sites, SaaS platforms, personalized dashboards. Platforms: Auth0, custom authentication.
5. Communicate
Reach users after they leave the site. Examples: email marketing, SMS, push notifications, chat. Platforms: Mailchimp, Twilio, custom integrations.
6. Process & Compute
Run custom logic and processing. Examples: real-time calculations, AI features, background jobs, custom workflows. Platforms: serverless functions, custom backend.
The Complexity Multiplication Problem
A website that only publishes content is straightforward. A website that publishes and captures leads is not twice as complex—it's 3-4x as complex because you need form validation, spam prevention, CRM integration, and lead nurturing workflows.
Add transactions to publishing and capturing, and you're now 10x more complex, not 3x. You need payment processing, inventory management, order fulfillment, customer accounts, refund handling, tax compliance, and fraud detection. Each capability interacts with the others in ways that multiply your technical and operational burden.
Platform Limits by Category
| Capability | Wix/Squarespace | WordPress | Shopify | Custom Build |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publish | Excellent | Excellent | Limited | Full control |
| Capture | Good | With plugins | Good | Full control |
| Transact | Basic | With plugins | Excellent | Full control |
| Authenticate | Limited | Limited | Basic | Full control |
| Communicate | Limited | With plugins | Good | Full control |
| Process | None | Limited | Limited | Full control |