Types of Website
What type of website for the current stage of your business?
Any type of website can work for any type of business, depending on the stage of your business, your products and services, budget and organisation.
- Affordable website for a startup?
- Extended website for an established business?
- e-commerce website?
- Integration with stock and financial systems?
For e-commerce, a complex product may require a complex website to sell online, whereas a simple product with little choice is an easier sell:
- A t-shirt printing company may need a graphical design feature leading into e-commerce, with many variations to each product
- Selling homemade jam is a simple product for online sale.
Website Types and Your Business
This is for guidance only! WordPress is excellent for websites in the categories below.
Information
Your Business
Any type of product / service
Ordered / delivered in person
Complex sales negotiation
Wide target market or local customers
Website Content
Business Summary
Contact details and opening times
Business storyline, services
Specialist Enquiry Form
Projects and case studies
Blog
Examples
Architects
Bespoke Engineering
Hair and Beauty
Financial Services
Builder
Catalog
Your Business
Complex products and services
Variants, complex to order
Requires installation
Wide target market
Website Content
As Information website plus:
General Product listings
Product use examples
Examples
Bespoke furniture
Car / van sales and hire
Letting agency
Wedding stationery
Leather merchant
Bespoke Garden Sheds
e-commerce
Your Business
Standard products and services
Easy to order
Easy to deliver
Wide target market
Website Content
As Information website plus:
Detailed product listings
Order and payment facilities
Examples
Furniture store
Cycle shop
Jewellers
Specialist clothes shop
Electrical goods
Luxury local shop
I only sell to local people
A website can better help local people appreciate what you do. It can attract custom from further away to boost your business at quiet times, and give you an edge on your competition. A local grocery shop or a local hairdresser are good examples.
An e-commerce website can be the basis for a delivery service to local customers.
Customer Location
It really does not matter where your customers are for a website to help broaden your customer base.
Your ability to modify your business to take orders from remote customers, then deliver your products and services to them is crucial. If you have a complex product to deliver, a kit form might be a solution.
Basic Products and Services
Products and services that are easy to define, easy to deliver, easy to install with few after-sales questions are suitable for selling online. There is no direct contact between you and the customer for delivery or install.
Variations are handled with options during the on-line buying process. The product description and options are simple and clearly defined.
Online competition is strong for basic mass-market products and services with larger websites selling the same item or service. Small businesses struggle to compete with large sellers. The customer needs a compelling reason to buy from you online.
Unique Products and Services
Unique and niche products and services can sell well online. There is less competition from larger suppliers, so smaller businesses can do well.
For example home-made jam, collectable items, one-off pieces of furniture, specialist or limited edition products.
Complex Products and Services
Products and services with complex specifications and options are more difficult to sell online. The customer needs to make more decisions before and during the sale!
Online trading is possible with an initial electronic order, clarified by e-mail or other media. Delivery with on-site installation might be needed.
An information website with or without a product catalog can help with complex products. The website details the options and how the customer will interact with you. The more information you provide to assist your customer the more likely they are to call you with an order.
The alternative is an e-commerce website able to handle complex products. This is more costly to set up and maintain.
Interaction, Blogs
A website visitor will better understand a concept with interactive features on a website. WordPress has many plugins to enable interactive features.
A weblog or “blog” is the posting of articles. A regular blog post is good to get yourself heard and drive traffic to your website.
Please call or email to get started