Creating a Web Site for your Business

Creating a Web Site for your Business
There are three basic types of web sites: Informational, Interactive, and Merchandise Purchasing or Store Front.  Your products and/or services will determine what type of web site you should design for your business.

One: Informational.
You are operating a service only business where you and your potential customers must meet face to face in order to complete a transaction, such as a hair salon, employment staffing agency, or business consulting services.  Your site will inform potential customers of who you are, what you offer, where you are located, and how to contact you.  The site will be very easy to maintain, and most likely won't consist of more than five pages. (Disclaimer: The previous information was originally written in 2005.)  Today, you can also provide a link to an online scheduling site such as Schedulicity.com where customers can schedule appointments for the services that you offer.

Two: Interactive.
You are operating a service only business where you and your potential customers don't have to meet face to face in order to begin a transaction such as web design company, or a printing company.  Your sire will provide your potential customers with surveys, questionnaires, and/or fill-in forms which they will use to inform you of their needs and allow you to provide then with a bid proposal for their acceptance before any work is begun.  This site requires a little more maintenance than the informational site in terms of keeping the surveys and questionnaires updated.

Three: Merchandise Purchasing (Store Front)
You are selling pre-produced merchandise or personalized merchandise, and are wiling to accept payment electronically and willing to ship the merchandise to your customers.  You would provide your potential customers with a catalog of available items, the prices, colors, sizes, and any other pertinent information about the products you have available for sale.  You would also provide a shopping cart and a secure means of check out and payment acceptance.  This is the most detailed and most expensive of web sites, and requires a lot of maintenance as products ad inventory changes.

Your web sire can be as basic or as complex as you see fit.  You may choose to combine features of all three types of web sites, and create a unique web site for your business.  Just remember that your web site should reflect your business not your personal image.  So, you don't want to incorporate Hip-Hop music on your web sire if you're a bankruptcy attorney nor do you want to incorporate Beethoven into your web site if your company manages Hip-Hop artists.