If you are planning on designing a website for your company you may wonder what kind is right for you. There are many different styles of site online and they can range from very simple sites that were created with the use of a template to extremely complex sites that may incorporate multiple areas and advanced functionality. Here are a few things to consider when deciding which kind of website design is right for your company.
Are you creating an online portfolio?
If you are creating an online portfolio or are using other static elements you may find that you can get away with a website design that is very simple and straightforward. These can often be some of the most affordable website designs around because they may have fewer pages and may not require a lot of task-specific programming. You may be interested in a website design that can be expanded easily because you may have more work that you want to showcase in the future. As well, you also need to make sure that your site includes a content management system that will allow you to add new images or entries yourself rather than needing someone to do this for you.
Will you be using it for ecommerce?
If you are selling products online you will need to make sure that it is set up properly for ecommerce. This means that you will need a virtual store front, payment functionality and a shopping cart that works properly. That way you can find it will be much easier for your customers to purchase goods from your company using your website. You want to make sure that your customers can find the items that they are looking for and that they are able to get a good idea of what the items look like through the use of multiple images. A virtual storefront can be quite simple or it can also be very complex. It can be a good idea to look at the sites of other companies that are selling the same kinds of things you are. That way you can talk to your designer about any elements that you like and ensure that your site is superior to those sites belonging to your competitors.
Members’ only areas
Some websites also include password protected areas that are available only to members. This can be a fantastic function as it can help build customer loyalty over time. Your members’ only area may include blog posts, a different virtual store front than is available elsewhere on your site or it may also have forum functionality that can be used by your customers to communicate with you and with each other.
These are just a few examples of the different functions that can be built into your website. By thinking about how you want to use your site you can work with your website design team to ensure that they are all included and that you are totally satisfied with the site that you are paying for.