When building your business, your website is one of the most important marketing and sales tools you can develop. It serves as a gateway to 4.5 billion internet users. Think about it: when you want to learn more about a company, you usually go online and eventually end up on their website.
But building the right website for your business isn’t easy and can sometimes seem overwhelming. In truth, there are a lot of upfront decisions that need to be made, But first and foremost we believe it starts with deciding what type of site to build.
To help you get started, here are the three main types of websites and the benefits to each of them.
Lead generation.
A lead generation website does just that. It educates your visitors on your product or service and the industry you operate within, while encouraging visitors to provide qualitative information to your sales team through integrated calls to action (CTAs).
Some examples of this type of website include showcasing your product or service along with campaign push/pull.
Informational.
Informational websites are created in order to provide a customized and branded resource for potential and active customers, members, investors, etc. These websites are usually content-driven and frequently updated with new information.
The goal of this website is to become a valuable go-to resource through conveying specific, unique and helpful information to your audience thus encouraging return visits and most importantly, trust.
Some examples include an educational site, news, magazine, brochure, social media, blog, wiki or video streaming website.
E-Commerce.
E-Commerce websites are online portals that facilitate transactions of goods and services through means of a transfer of funds over the internet.
Some examples include B2B, B2C, C2C, C2B and crowdfunding websites.
With clear differences between each type of website, deciding which approach is most important to your business should be your main priority out of the gate. Making this key strategic decision first will help you stay focused as you move through content development, wireframing, creative and technical implementation stages of your website—leading to a successful build of arguably your most valuable sales and marketing tool.
