I wrote the title to this and then started making a list. It immediately became clear that they have a LOT in common. For starters, there are the parallels of their roles and functions—skyscraper/corporate site, office or shop/business site, house/personal blog or portfolio.

They both require planning. A building begins with

detailed paper blueprints, then gets built from the ground up, foundation to roof. A website is planned by first considering the purpose, audience and functionality, then moving on to the design and construction of the site.

Buildings and websites share the need to look good for their appointed role and audience. Buildings, especially homes, are rated according to their “curb appeal,” while websites are commonly discussed in terms of their “look and feel.”

Both have security concerns. Buildings use locks, lighting, fences and alarms. For websites the language changes to passwords, firewalls, SSL, encryption, etc, but the purpose of keeping the bad guys out remains the same.

And then there are the optional add-on services—websites can connect with online schedulers, e-commerce shopping carts, social media sites, etc, while have yard service, the mailman and deliveries of pizza and packages.

To your business success!