"Types of sites, depending on the type of business"

TYPES OF SITES: WHICH SITE WILL BRING YOUR BUSINESS MORE PROFITS?

It's no secret that modern business can no longer be made successful and profitable without using the tools that the Internet provides. The presence of your business on the Internet is a must, and for those who have knowledge in this matter, it is a strong advantage over competitors.

There are many different types of sites, and each one is a unique reflection of a particular model. We will try to highlight some general approaches from all this set, so that it would be easier for you to decide which resource you need specifically.

In accordance with the initial goals, it is necessary to determine the type of site (type of site) that you need. It is also necessary to define the terminology in order to speak the same language with the project developer. The clarity of setting goals and explaining the tasks for the project minimize the time for its development.

All sites differ in their functionality, tasks, purpose, technical and other characteristics.

Of course, any classification is a little arbitrary, since sites of different types can often have some similarities. Moreover, in practice it is not uncommon to find combined websites.

But still, it is very useful to know the key differences, advantages and disadvantages of each type if you are going to order the creation of a website. To clearly understand what exactly you want is practically half the battle.

Therefore, we tried very hard and highlighted the key indicators of modern sites, by which they can be distinguished from each other. We have divided the sites into types according to their purpose and structure.

So let's take a look at the main types of company websites on the Internet. Attention! We do not just review different types of sites. No, there are already enough such articles on the Internet. We do what will be really useful for those who wish to order a website for their company. Therefore, our classification is based on business, that is, we will sort sites on the shelves based on the tasks they perform specifically for companies and organizations.

SITE BUSINESS CARD

A business card site is, one might say, the founder of the Internet. It was this type of site that stood at the beginning of the emergence of the global network. Of course, now such business pages have been visually transformed, they have become more beautiful and more elegant. But the very essence remained the same.

What is a business card site? These are just a few pages: information about the company, information about the products sold / services provided, contact information. It may have several more sections such as: Promotions, News and the like. The information provided is static, that is, the business card site does not

assume active user interaction with the site. Of all the interaction with the client - only a feedback form for sending email directly from the site.

Benefits:

• low cost of creation.
• quick start.
• it is possible to upgrade to more advanced types of websites (but this possibility should be discussed in advance).

Disadvantages:

• promotion is almost impossible due to the small amount of content.
• poor functionality.
• poor design.
• the client does not stay late: came - looked - left.

In general, this type of site has become obsolete. Of course, a business card site is better than nothing. But the client cannot be hooked with this kind of site. Moreover, in the case of a business card site, you also need to try not to scare away the client at all! Since when creating a business card, as a rule, the customer saves on everything that is possible, then such a site looks as a result. Budgetary is still a correct definition, usually everything is much worse.

CORPORATE WEBSITE

This type of site is a large information resource consisting of a large number of pages containing information about a firm or company. This is an image platform, the face of your business.

If we compare it with the previous type of website - a business card, we get the following analogy. There you handed a small business card and said goodbye to the client, hoping that someday they will remember you. Here you immediately give the maximum amount of information, almost a book, which has everything to solve the client's needs. This is not just a business card, it is already a full-fledged office with all its advantages.

Just as a person is greeted in appearance, so the company is greeted on its website. As a rule, the client, even unconsciously, sees / feels seriousness in intentions (or lack thereof). A corporate website is a great way to show you are serious about business.

Moreover, by creating a corporate type of site, you give the client what he needs. The client feels the respect shown to him when he sees how much necessary and useful information has been created and posted specially for him. Nice design, convenient management, reliable and regularly updated information - these are the characteristic features that make a corporate website stand out from the background of business cards.

All of the above is somewhat subjective (although verified by personal experience), so let's add objectivity and highlight the specific pros and cons of a corporate website.

Benefits:

• centralized storage of detailed information about the company, goods and services.
• a large amount of help information to support the user.
• various help services for choosing goods and services: calculators and the like.
• Possibility of interaction of the organization's employees with each other through internal services.
• active customer attraction due to customer focus.

There are no obvious flaws in the corporate type of the site. But one subjective one can still be distinguished: the corporate site is not stuffed to the maximum. That is, it perfectly fulfills its functions of attracting new customers and supporting existing ones. But there is no limit to perfection - and a corporate site may someday want to provide more options for users. And the more it becomes overgrown with additional functionality, the more it will turn into a portal.

PORTAL

The portal is a highly upgraded and improved corporate website. This type of site is aimed at a wider range of users and is designed to make their life easier in all available ways.

An example of the portal's functionality: placing photos, audio and video in the form of convenient galleries and playlists; reading, viewing and listening online; forums, blogs and user diaries; ratings, voting, commenting and comment management system; the exchange of private messages between users and so on. The list is endless. The main feature of the portal is a very active interaction with visitors. There can be thousands of types of these interactions. Each audience has its own requests, and it is the portal site that is able to satisfy them all.

It is on this that the success or failure of the portal is built. The main thing is to understand the needs of your target audience. If you know what your users need, then you can give it to them through the Internet portal. The portal is a modern look of the site, thanks to which you can effectively meet the needs of your audience. Thus, you will make your business successful. A properly designed portal is a guarantee that everything will work out for you.

WEBSITE SERVICE

The service is usually built on the solution of one or more of the same type of customer needs.

The best example would be online consultants. Probably, each of us met on modern sites pop-up windows with an appeal from managers or a proposal to enter your number so that we would quickly call back and advise. So, such online helpers are an example of a service - a type of site that provides services to meet a specific user need.

The same cloud hosting (Dropbox), video hosting (YouTube), various services for online file conversion, etc. - are a prime example of good and helpful service.

There are a huge number of services on the Internet and new ones appear every day. In order to create your own successful service, you just need to understand what people lack. Guess how to solve someone's problem, become useful to people - and your service will certainly succeed. Of course, if it is developed and commissioned by professionals. Since a cool idea without competent technical implementation most often expects a failure.

SITE CATALOG

A catalog means a site with a showcase of goods, but without the ability to add them to the cart and place an order. The purchase of goods from the catalog is made via email, telephone or other means of contacting the owner of the resource.

It is worth noting that at this point in time, a catalog site is not the best solution for a business (the exception is catalogs with expensive goods, such as special equipment, cars, etc.). Customers have become finicky: they need to be simple and convenient. And what is simple and convenient is that he has to look for an opportunity to contact the owner of the catalog, spend time communicating with them, and only after going through this difficult path will the client finally be able to get what he needs. In general, this is not the best type of site for developing an online business.

Of course, there are situations when a company has a unique offer or an individual approach to pricing for each person. But even in this case, you can automate everything! Customers will be grateful to you if you screw the basket familiar to everyone and give them the opportunity to place an order. But then you will get the next type of site.

ONLINE SHOP

Online stores are used to provide information about a large group of goods of the same subject, with the ability to order goods directly from the site. Such a site is aimed at direct sales, it does not represent the product as well as the landing page, but it allows you to increase the range of products provided.

The volume of online commerce is growing year after year.

The main task of an electronic store is to present a wide range and the ability to buy a product or service directly on the site. The more we make life easier for the client, the more clients we have. The law of any business!

Benefits:

• the ability to purchase in a few clicks.
• wide audience coverage (no geographic reference).
• unlimited number of products on the showcase.
• round the clock availability.
• the ability to compare and evaluate goods.
• low prices due to lower costs in comparison with an offline store.

We can single out only one drawback: the product cannot be touched. Fortunately, now the confidence of shoppers in online shopping has increased, and they already shop online without a doubt. What's more, many stores guarantee shoppers a free pre-purchase inspection or fitting. That is, the client can first make sure that what he needs was delivered to him, and only then pay for the order.

In general, the future belongs to online stores. Today it is the most convenient (you can buy without getting up from the couch) and simple (ordering a product on average takes 5 minutes) way to buy something.

LANDING

This type of Internet resources is used to display information about one product or service in the most attractive form for a potential buyer. The main task of the landing page is to collect contact information of site visitors.

Other landing page names are landing page, capture page.

What is the right landing page?

First, it's a simple and user-friendly design. Due to its lightness, the landing page loads quickly and does not raise unnecessary questions.

Secondly, the landing page carries key information about why the client should make a purchase or take another targeted action (for example, subscribe to a newsletter). Benefits, time-limited promotions, high-quality photos, a call to action - these are the main points of the landing page.

Landing pages are booming now. And there are reasons for this. The main advantage of this type of site is the increased conversion due to its narrow focus (a specific product / service for a specific audience). Nothing extra - that's the secret of the capture page's success.

Unlike a huge showcase of an online store, a visitor to the landing page sees only one thing. When we do not have a wide choice, then often we are even glad of this - no need to spend time and energy on comparison and choice.

The disadvantage of a landing page is precisely its advantage in the form of narrow focus. It's like a double-edged sword. If you have a second (third, tenth, thousandth) product / service, then there are two ways out. The first is to make a new landing page for it again. The second is to create an online store with a wide range of products.

Some online store owners use landing pages at the same time. And this is quite justified. For example, they have a very popular product on sale. It sells well in the store, but if you additionally organize the landing page specifically for this product, then sales will go even better. This tactic of a simultaneous offensive on all fronts is becoming more common in e-commerce. Why not? After all, it is effective and does not require special costs.

PROMO SITES

Promo sites - a site created to promote any event or promotion. As a rule, this site is placed on the Internet for a relatively short period of time and has a purely advertising nature.

Typically, such sites are required by large businesses. Such a business already has a main site or sites whose tasks are sales, the formation of a positive image, and customer support. But all sorts of entertainment competitions are placed on a separate domain, so as not to clutter up the main resource. And it is right.

Of course, for the sake of a weekly action, no one makes promo-sites. They are made for long-term contests and sweepstakes. Long-term - this most often means from several weeks to several months. Naturally, such a large event is worthy of a separate promo site.

SOCIAL NETWORK

Social networks are sites designed to build and reflect social relationships between different people.

Social networks can be both for a wide range of users), and narrowly focused, in which people with certain interests, opportunities, goals are united.

Not all companies can afford this type of site, however, social networks are now becoming more widespread, and businesses also use this convenient technology of interaction between users to their advantage.

Basically, a social network is an expensive but effective solution to the interaction problem. This tool is only needed by those companies that have outgrown standard corporate communications and need more. Moreover, such companies have a clear idea of their target audience, its interests and needs, they know what their tasks can be solved by their own social network, they understand exactly how to benefit from the creation of a social network and have sufficient funds to develop their social network, because on one website creation you will not go far, it will need to be promoted and popularized.

FORUM

The forum is a place for communication. The forum can be either a separate site or part of the main one. Often forums are created for specific topics (for example, webmaster forums, forums for hunting and fishing fans).

In business, it is used as a platform for communicating with customers.

Creating a forum is justified when you have many clients who often have questions. If this condition is not met, then the result is a dead forum, which with its emptiness only scares away other potential customers.

BLOG

As in the case of a forum, a blog can be either separate or combined with the company's main Internet resource. The difference here is that it is not a means of communication, but a tribune of the organization, from which it conveys information necessary for clients.

Starting a blog is much more relevant than starting a forum, and here's why.

Benefits:

• useful information for the client.
• the site becomes alive: you can see that it is developing.
• an excellent tool for website promotion on the Internet.

Quality regular updates are the key to your blog's success.

If a client comes in and sees a lonely article written two years ago, he will conclude that such desolation and devastation is not only in the blog, but also in the company itself. It is unlikely that he will use the services of this organization - the impression has already been spoiled.

It's quite another matter when a company regularly writes on its blog. The client notes the active work and concludes that the organization is alive and developing. Moreover, the visitor receives useful information from the blog. Thanks to this, the authority of the company and the expertise of its employees in the eyes of the client grows. Judge for yourself: who will you trust more - the one you see for the first time or the one who has already helped you?

So a blog for any self-respecting company is undoubtedly a necessary and useful thing. The main thing is that it should be regularly filled with useful information, and not lie like a dead weight.

CONTENT PROJECT

Sites of this type, as a rule, are non-commercial information platforms for attracting visitors on a specific topic. The site contains a large number of articles, images, videos and other material, which helps to attract high-quality thematic traffic to the resource. In the future, this traffic can be redirected to commercial sites.

CONCLUSION

What to choose with such a variety of types of sites?

Choosing a site type is actually much easier than it sounds. It all depends on the functional purpose. That is, you first need to decide on the purpose of the site, and only then on its type, structure and functions.

Do you want to trade or offer services? Online store and / or landing page at your service. You can also consider a catalog option. But, as we have already noted, the catalog is much less convenient in comparison with a full-fledged online store, with the exception of some types of business.

Is the site intended to inform your customers? A corporate site or portal is your choice. If desired, you can attach a forum or blog to these types of sites - these are useful tools in the field of supporting and informing users.

Are you going to provide a specific service over the Internet? The service will be a great solution in this case. A good solution would be to combine a landing page and a service site (landing page - for a good conversion, but the service itself will be in a separate user account). Convenient and efficient.

It is worth noting that the classification of sites is a somewhat arbitrary thing. As a rule, most of the Internet resources have signs of various types of sites. Competent combination of functionality, structure and design of your Internet presence is what is really important.