Personal web pages are usually created as a kind of hobby and may be used to communicate to friends and relatives, express an interest in a specific topic or purely for fun. Personal web pages are usually created by the person themselves though often we are hired to help them along initially on the learning curve.
Another use of personal websites may be by Non-profit organizations (NPOs). They may use their web pages to convey information to their members, such as newsletters, upcoming events, or meetings. They may also direct the website to the general public or businesses to help in their fundraising events. NPO websites are less often designed and maintained by their members because of a lack of technical knowledge or time constraints.

Business web sites on the other hand usually have as the motivating factor increasing sales or service to their customers. Some business types benefit greatly from the use of websites and the Internet, others to a lesser degree.
Tourism oriented businesses such bed and breakfasts, hotels, attractions, tours and charters seem to benefit greatly. This seems to be largly due to their potential customers wanting to plan ahead and decide how to spend the limited time they may have available on their upcoming holliday. Most of my bed & breakfast customers have found that the internet gives them the greatest "bang for their buck" and eventually nearly eliminate other forms of advertising.
Goods oriented businesses may benefit to a greater or lesser degree by the use of a website. Goods that are inexpensive, and easy to ship may sell online very well, while more expensive or bulky, hard to ship goods generally don't sell well online. The advertising for these types of goods though may be very useful. Websites can include a lot of information about a products and very easy ways to request more information. Most businesses will benefit from the customer service aspect of their websites. This may include instruction or operation manuals, operation or cleaning tips, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), or maybe instruction on how to return a product for service or replacement.