A website is a necessary part of any business in the 21st century. It allows customers and clients to find out more about your company, what you do and how to get in touch with you.
Having a well-designed website also shows that you are professional and up-to-date with technology. There are different types of websites available, each suitable for different purposes such as ecommerce sites, blog sites or informational sites.
This article will help you understand the benefits of having a website and what type of website would be most suitable for their needs.
What is a website?
A website is a set of webpages that are typically hosted on a single domain. A website usually contains content, such as text and images, which is organized into pages. Websites can be used for various purposes, such as providing information about a company or product, selling products or services online, or simply sharing personal thoughts and experiences.
A website is the foundation of your business. It’s the first impression that people have of your business, and it needs to be great!
To make a website you need:
A domain name: A domain name is the website’s “address” on the internet. It is what people see when they enter your website’s URL (universal resource locator). For example, the domain name for this webnsite is iindigo.co.uk.
A web host: A web host is a company that provides hosting services for web pages and websites; essentially they provide somewhere for your website to live. It can also provide other related services, such as domain name registration and email forwarding.
A website: The files that make up a website. It’s common for websites to be made using a platform such as WordPress, Wix or WebWave as these allow you to create a site without needing to know any complicated coding knowledge.
The benefits of having a website.
There are many benefits to having a website, but here are three of the most important ones:
- Increased Exposure: A website can help your business to get more exposure, both online and offline. This is because potential customers can find you through search engines, social media sites, and other online resources.
- Greater brand recognition: Having a website can increase the visibility of your business name and create a better impression with potential customers.
- Improved Customer Return on Investment (CROI): A website can help you track customer engagement and improve your marketing efforts by knowing which areas are resonating with people and what needs to be improved or changed in order to keep them engaged.
- Increased Efficiency: Websites make it easy for businesses to manage their operations from one location. This means that you can save time by simplifying tasks such as updating information, creating sales pages, or distributing marketing materials.
- Enhanced Customer Loyalty: Customers who know about your company and its products are more likely to remain loyal and return in the future for additional purchases or services than those who do not know about you.
62% of buyers shop online at least once a month and 43% of eCommerce traffic comes from Google searches*, so if you don’t have an online presence and a way for customers to see what you have on offer you’re missing out on potential sales.
A well-designed website will allow you to showcase your products or services in the best possible light, and reach people who might not otherwise know about your business.
When people visit your site, they should be able to easily find information about your company and what it does. Having an up-to-date website shows that you’re keeping on top of current trends, which will instil confidence in potential customers.
Plus, having a website gives you a 24/7 presence online. Even if your physical store is closed for the night, your website will still be open for business! This means that people can learn about your products or services at any time of day or night – which could lead to more sales down the line.
Different types of websites
You might think a website is a website, but there are different types of websites for different purposes.
Blog Website
These are created in order to earn passive income from online advertisement. The site owner builds topical authority by writing articles about a specific niche.
Starting from scratch it can take up to 200 articles and 24 months to start generating an income, so these types of websites are often started as a side project.
Company Website
Potential clients will often research a company by visiting it’s website. The site may have blogs on it, for content marketing purposes and announcements, but will also include additional information about the company.
A company website might include the following information:
- Information about the company
- Information about the service(s)/product(s) offered
- Location and contact information
- Staff bios
- Useful resources for existing customers
In today’s online world, companies that can establish a strong website presence can easily compete for customers and leads.
Ecommerce Website
If your primary goal is to sell products, then an ecommerce focused website is best. These are online shops that have everything you need for visitors to view products, buy them online and for you to receive information about the order.
Some small business owners start with a basic website before adding an online shop. For example, Paul from Chiselled Features had an existing business website, built in WordPress.
He had been looking for a Stockport website designer to help him update the site to include an online shop. A previous client of ours recommended he speak to iindigo, and we were happy to help update the website and show him how to use it.
The site now allows him to list products and take orders. Although this is all done online, a lot of the visitors come to the website because of Paul’s offline activity, he can be found at various markets selling his hand made products.
If people like the products but need to measure up, he’ll make sure they have his website details, so they can place an order online rather than wait for the next market.
Landing Page
If you’re running online adverts then you’ll generally direct people to a landing page. While many businesses will create a landing page on their business website, there are some situations where all you need is the landing page. Think of them as very small websites, 1 or 2 pages.
The aim of the site is to capture contact details (name, email, number) so you can follow up. These usually work best where you have a lead magnet containing information the visitor wants.
After providing this information you can follow up with further emails or calls to explore how you can help them further, with the aim of converting them from a visitor to a client.
Digital Business Card
This is a variation of a landing page, but one optimised for viewing on a mobile phone. It’s a small website that has your information and contact details on.
These work really well with programmable NFC cards. An NFC card is a type of card that uses Near Field Communication technology. This technology allows you to send information to a mobile using its built-in NFC chip. When you meet someone and want to give them your details, they tap your card and get taken to the digital business card site.
The site can have links to your social profiles and a special button that adds your contact details to your phone. This works really well as most people haven’t seen this before; the novelty factor lets you walk them through adding your contact details to their mobile.
Never worry about them throwing away your business card again!
Link Website
Another variation of a landing page, only this time it’s designed to link out to other resources. These have become very popular with Instagram users as you can only have a single “link in bio”.
They use it to direct visitors to this micro landing page which contains a range of links to other websites/products/services.
How do I create a website for my business?
There are a few different ways to create a website for your business. You can use a website builder, create a custom website from scratch, or have someone create a site for you.
Website builders are great for beginners because they allow you to easily create a website without any coding knowledge. WordPress is a very popular option, but can be a little overwhelming if you’ve not used it before. Popular website builders that offer a simpler solution include Wix, and WebWave, but what you use depends on your goal.
For example, WordPress is fantastic for creating a blog site or business site, but Phonesite is better at creating digital business cards and basic landing pages for use with online advertising.
If you want to create a custom website, you will need to learn some coding skills. There are lots of freely available resources to do this but you’ll have to invest in the time to learn, and I personally think with all the available tools to build sites it’s better to use them and focus on your business than learn a new language.
The final option is to hire someone to create a website for you. This takes away the pain of dealing with the complexities of configuring a domain name, setting up the site, thinking of information to add etc. but it does come at a cost.
hire designer article.
– What Type of Website Should I Use to Showcase My Digital Business Card?
When creating digital business cards, a personal website can be the perfect platform to showcase your professional information, portfolio, and contact details. A well-designed website allows you to highlight your unique skills and experiences, making it easy for potential clients or employers to learn more about you.
Is WordPress good for making business websites?
I’ve mentioned a few options in this article so you might be wondering which you should use for your own site.
WordPress is a popular free CMS platform that is very good for making business websites. It offers a wide range of possibilities thanks to the hundreds of themes and plugins available, but that wide range of options can also be overwhelming if you’ve never used the platform.
A CMS is a content management system, a software platform that allows website owners to manage the pages and articles on their website.
Although WordPress is free, hosting it and the domain name isn’t. This is where hiring someone can be a huge benefit, you get the site set up and looking how you like, and can then benefit from the excellent blogging platform.
You can build a business website using WordPress, but if it seems overcomplicated a platform such as Wix or WebWave offer a simpler soltuion that includes hosting.
*Source: https://www.cminds.com/blog/wordpress/online-shopping-statistics-need-know-2021/
