Facts to Consider About Designing a Website
There are many factors of your overall web design strategy that should be considered when you are either creating a website or doing a substantial upgrade to your existing website. One of the biggest design mistakes I often see with many websites happens before the site is even built. That answer that would surprise most people but as you read on you will understand what I mean.
One of the most important questions a small business owner should ask themselves when considering building a website would be and what is the real purpose of my website? That factor is sometimes overlooked by many small business owners and Tampa Bay web designers, but it is an important consideration that should be carefully thought out before the actual web design process begins.
Have a Clearly Defined Purpose for Your Website – Part of Your Web Design Strategy
Most business websites can be broken down into just a few categories such as e-commerce type sites, informational type sites, lead capture/landing page style websites, starter websites and blogs or forums. I would say those are the major types of web sites that most of my business clients have. Each has its own purpose but as long as that purpose aligns with the business’s goal, it can work very well. Some websites may have two or more of those web design characteristics, but generally speaking the overall theme or purpose of the website will fit into one of those categories.
What Type Of Website Best Fits Your Web Design Strategies?
E-Commerce Websites
For those that may not be familiar with the term “e-commerce”, is a shortened version of electronic commerce and simply means an online store or website whose primary objective is to do business as a storefront where you can purchase products. Most major retailers would have a website storefront like this and it is also very popular with many small business owners. If the primary purpose of your website is to sell products, then an e-commerce type website would be best suited.
There are many factors to consider and many options available. Some of the more popular platforms for e-commerce websites are Magento, osCommerce, Zen Cart, X-Cart, VirtueMart and Ubercart. Some of these are open source which means free, and others are paid applications which you must purchase. Some of these e-commerce platforms are designed to be integrated with an existing website structure such as WordPress or Drupal, while others are complete standalone platforms which allow for customization of the overall theme. Since there are many other factors related to payment gateways and other options, it is important to discuss your needs with a Tampa Bay web design professional to make sure the solution will best fit your needs now and going forward.
Informational Web Sites
Informational websites are sometimes referred to as “authority sites” or “web portals” and are generally used to create a community or following, especially as it relates to a specific brand or niche market. These web portals often contain hundreds or even thousands of pages of content and articles. This type of website is not as popular with small business owners in the Tampa Bay area because it usually takes longer to build the community and the methods for monetization are more subtle.
Some of the ways that a business owner might monetize an informational website would be through implementing a lead capture form, selling advertising space for other complementary businesses, selling some type of physical book, e-book, video series or other informational product.
Lead Capture Landing Page Web Sites
The primary purpose of a lead capture or landing page style website is just what it says, and that is to convert the website visitors into prospects and customers. These websites are generally very simple and many often only contain a single page. Typically, the homepage of this style of website might have a short video that plays a compelling and inviting message that encourages the visitor to supply their name and e-mail address by using an opt in (contact form), which is usually displayed to the right of the video.
Lead capture landing pages are very effective, providing they have a professional website design and the reward or offer for the prospect is compelling enough for people to submit their contact information. These pages are highly optimized for their primary purpose and would be well-suited for many scenarios such as:
- Dunedin roofing companies that want people to sign up for free estimate
- Tampa Bay air-conditioning companies that offer a free AC system inspection
- St. Petersburg auto repair businesses that might offer a free vehicle safety inspection
- Largo window companies offering a free home energy analysis
- Tampa law firms offering a free guide on divorce tips or foreclosure help
- Clearwater chiropractors offering a free consultation or discount on an adjustment
- Palm Harbor dentists offering free bitewing x-rays with a complete exam
- Tarpon Springs painting companies offering a free estimate
As you can see, this type of website is highly targeted and has a specific purpose which can provide the small business owner with a consistent supply of good leads.
Starter Websites
Many small business owners in the Tampa Bay area are just starting out and may only need a small website consisting of 5 to 6 pages which can essentially be an online brochure. We almost always use the WordPress platform for the websites we build because it allows the business owner to easily make updates and edits without the need of special software or extensive training. Typically a site of this nature would have a homepage, about us, services, testimonials, and the contact page. I always suggest to incorporate some type of lead capture mechanism such as an opt in form to make it easy to follow-up with prospects after they have left the website.
Blogs and Forums
Sometimes an entire website can be either a blog or forum but that component could also be integrated usually along with an informational type website. Since the primary purpose of a blog or forum is to invite and encourage user participation, it usually requires considerable amount of oversight or management since comments or posts need to be moderated. It is up to the blog or forum owner or their staff to make sure that the content that is being generated by the website visitors is not offensive, derogatory or otherwise not conducive to a productive and positive business environment. These websites are usually monetized in the same way as the informational websites described above.
In summary, it is obvious that each of these types of websites vary greatly in their design, underlying architecture, and function so it is important to discuss your specific goals and objectives with your web design professional before any work begins. Having your web design strategies clearly outline can certainly save you time and money during the development of your website.
Let’s Discuss Which Web Design Strategies Are Best For You
We offer a free consultation so we have an opportunity to learn more about you and your business and what you hope to achieve with your new website. We work with many businesses in the local Tampa Bay area for cities such as Clearwater, Dunedin, Palm Harbor, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Largo and many other cities in Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco counties. We welcome the opportunity to work with you as well.
