What type of website is best for your business?

Before making a website it is important to know what goals we want to achieve with it. This way the design will help us from the beginning. Get to know types of websites to choose the best for your business.

We all need a website. If you’re not online, you don’t exist. However, sometimes websites need some structure. What do I mean? You may have a website but it’s not functional for your goals. Maybe you’re looking to sell online and your page design isn’t helping sales because it’s better for a blog. In this post, I’ll show you some features about websites so you can decide which one is best for your purposes and you can design around the type of website that suits you best.

E-Commerce

Neon sign open

This type of website is focused on online sales. It is a fairly common type of website. If you’re thinking of huge sites like Amazon or eBay you’re not wrong. the purpose of these sites is to sell online. Although not exclusive to large companies, these two examples are already large markets in which smaller stores reside. It may also be that a local business is focused on online sales.

Selling online can save you a lot of costs per operation. Just getting rid of a local’s rent is a lot of help. That’s why many brands resort to designing websites where the purpose is to sell directly there. It is not out of the reach of small entrepreneurs as long as they have good technical support for their site and take care of the design.

In this type of website, it is of utmost importance how the product is presented. Are there good descriptions of each product? Are the features clear? Can you zoom in on the photos? Can you see different angles? More than a catalog, you have to think about bringing the experience of a physical store to the internet.

On the other hand, it should also be easy to make payments. People don’t want to spend hours trying to make their cards valid. That generates a lot of confidence in customers. Make sure you enable safe and efficient ways of payment.

Learn more about E Commerce with these10 examples complied by ReferralCandy.

Business

Person holding a light bulb

No, Business isn’t the same as E-Commerce. Think about Coca-Cola, for example, they’re not trying to sell soft drinks online, yet they have a website. Why? Because having a website also helps them sell.

On a Business page, customers will not be shopping directly on the site, however, they will use the page for other purposes. You may want to learn more about the company’s history, learn about some of its policies, products, distribution sites, or are looking to contact them.

However, this type of website is not exclusive to large companies. If you have a small business, having a Business page can help you introduce yourself to your customers. a professional appearance will generate confidence and if you take advantage of it, you can tell a story that makes them want to be your customers.

For a Business page to work, you need to make your brand clear. Tabs like "Who we are" will be of vital importance. Make sure that the information you share about your business is relevant, honest, and transparent. The design must also be pleasant to the eye and must be related to the area in which you operate. For example, if you are a recycling company it is excellent to involve a palette with shades of green.

On the other hand, one thing does not exclude the other. On a Business page, there may be a tab to buy. This will not be the main purpose of the site but it is not bad to give that option to customers.

See what a small business website can look like with these 25 small business websites to inspire you.

Blog or Media Outlet

Hardware for media

A business can have a blog, of course, but the blog itself is a type of website. These types of sites serve mainly to upload content. They can be text posts, photos, even videos. Having updated content and uploading regularly is very important.

Blogs are usually presented in a casual and personal tone. It would be rare for this blog to speak as in a newspaper or a scientific report. What makes blogs so popular is what makes them so relaxed. This has been the tone that has permeated the sites where media content is uploaded.

Previously, blogs were distinguished from other types of content sites. For example, sites that were magazines were recognized with a more serious tone. But the more the internet grows, the more you loosen the tie on news sites and online magazines. It’s common for styles to be confused between a New York Times column and a blog with cooking tips.

Something important in any case is to have interesting content. Since you are going to speak personally it is already better to give it particular touches so as not to lose yourself in the crowd. Make it fun and don’t be afraid to be yourself.

Inspire yourself with these blog designs.

Portfolio

Computer screen of someone creating a Portfolio type of website

This type of website is vital for designers, developers, and creatives in general. When you’re trying to sell your skills, you need to have some way of showing them. How are your potential clients gonna know you’re worth hiring? They need to see your work before buying, but it would be unfair to give them your work. That’s what portfolios are for.

These types of websites are kind of an online gallery. In it, you must keep your best works, what you think shows the full potential of your skills and knowledge. It is not advisable to include all your works. Normally, not everything you do is a perfect sample of what you are capable of. In addition, it’s good to update your portfolio as you progress. Your best work from when you started will start to look bad next to the newest ones. It’s normal, with experience come improvements. Make sure your customer knows what you’re capable of and make sure your portfolio reflects that.

Most websites of this type are easy to view. You should make it easy to explore to show what you do in a clean and detailed way. For those who work with visual media, it can become easier. For developers and writers, it can be more complicated but not impossible, it is a design challenge. It doesn’t mean that there are no ways to showcase your work that are attractive to the customer. You only need to point out the results of your work to attract customers.

Finally, as well as in Business sites, make sure your client knows who you are. Take care that the aesthetics of your portfolio site reflect who you are as a professional.

Check these examples of portfolios to inspire your design.

Educational

Person in library

Sites of this type are meant to teach. For a long time, YouTube was the king of tutorials. But over time, people realized that they could offer education in many other ways. There are many websites currently dedicated to selling online courses or full universities online.

Why is it so appealing to learn online? First, because you can learn from the comfort of your home (and we all know how useful this has become). Second, because you can access professionals who otherwise would be impossible to contact (that’s the Master Class model). And third, because they tend to be more flexible models.

When you’re designing your educational website, keep in mind that these are the three things people are looking for. Most successful websites of this type cover these points. Therefore you must make the site very comfortable to navigate. Thus, students will always know where to find the lessons. Make sure they can come back to a lesson if they need to. And above all, make it clear that you are a professional offering quality education.

With this type of website no less important is getting attention. People’s attention spans are getting shorter and shorter. That’s why flexibility is important, it allows them to go part by part. But it’s also good to innovate in the educational models you use.

Look at these excellent examples of design for inspiration for your educational site.

Landing Pages

Illustrations of type of websites

Finally the Landing Page. This type of page is not as such a website. They are rather pages created specifically for a marketing campaign. Their purpose is to solicit an action from potential customers. Perhaps it is a page to register to receive a discount coupon, to leave their details and that you contact them, to purchase a special package... The chances depend on you.

These types of pages involve starting a marketing campaign. So if you’re not ready to invest in it, don’t. Some do marketing campaigns using Landing Pages without having a good main site. It’s not the best you can do. It will give you a better presentation to have only one small Business site than just a Landing Page.

Check out some landing pages examples here.

I hope this information will help guide you on what type of website is best for your business. I recommend you make a list of goals about what you hope to accomplish with your page before deciding on any type of website. If you want to know more about some of the design challenges presented by each type of website I recommend you watch this video about 5 types of website designs.

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Full-stack developer with a good understanding of business challenges. Not only am I an expert in my field, I know what business needs in a competitive digital world. I am eager to work on all kinds of projects.

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