However, when it comes to having an online presence as a company, there is no single model for websites, and not all companies seek to sell their products virtually. Depending on the objectives pursued, there are different types of websites, and choosing the right one is essential to achieve these objectives.
Many web servers allow you to choose between various types of business websites. Although each of them may have different characteristics and functionalities, it is possible to identify types of online business website formats that are common to all of them.
E-commerce
Virtual stores or online stores are one of the most profitable ways to have an online presence. The objective of this type of website is clear: to have a virtual sales service for the company’s products or services. In addition to the products for sale, it is possible to include descriptions and even user comments on the items already purchased.
Among the main advantages is being able to sell to a larger number of customers who otherwise would not be accessible, because they do not know the company or for reasons of location, to offer a home service to customers or because there is no physical store.
This type of e-commerce site is intended for physical stores and businesses that carry out their entire sales volume through electronic transactions.
Informative
They are the online presentation letter of a company and define, in not too many words, the business activity, the way of working, and the objectives. The type of language used, the colors, the images, and the rest of the content define the business.
This type of page is an excellent presentation for companies that carry out their activity, sales, or contracts in a physical form, although, in general, they can be extended to any type of business.
Portfolio
A company can also be defined by the work already successfully completed, and, in this sense, portfolio websites are the best way to present the work completed.
It is a type of website highly recommended for freelancers who are still little known (or whose name is not yet associated with the work done) but who already have several projects completed satisfactorily. Among the professionals who can best take advantage of them: Architects, engineers, decorators.
Brand Marketing
Reaching the most people possible can be a good objective, and “going down well” with consumers and the general public can become the most successful advertising campaign for a national, international, or global firm. An excellent example is https://www.paperhelp.org/, which bet on Brand Management and became one of the greatest services in the education sector for students.
Video tutorials related to the products or services for sale, tips or advice, comics. It can be found on many of these company pages. And although sales are not common, sometimes you can request exclusive items related to the brand (merchandising).
Brand Marketing pages do not usually sell anything, and often the company name does not appear directly, but the objective is clear: to improve Brand Marketing.
These pages are used by companies that have a good market niche or that already have a name that users associate with a certain lifestyle, with certain characteristics, with a certain type of feelings.
Content or blog
In this type of page, the aim is to improve positioning and search percentages. In short, the objective is that any user can access the company in an online search engine.
Content pages are classic for companies dedicated to digital marketing and have among their services the writing of sponsored posts, which are complemented with other types of content.
Among the usual content are those that offer tips on digital marketing, tricks to improve positioning, or, on the contrary, posts related to the type of companies for which they offer content. For example, if the target were cosmetics companies, periodic content on beauty tips and sponsored posts on cosmetic brands that request it (reviews, comparisons, positive posts, etc.) would be published.
Forums
Years ago, forums were a popular form of communication between users of the network, then came the social networks, and the use of forums became residual.
However, it is still possible to find forums of certain companies. Most of them are structured as a complement to customer service: users expose doubts and/or problems that the moderator responds to. The advantages are clear, and they reduce the number of calls to customer service, especially FAQ.
Service installation companies (telephone, Internet, television) see forums as a good complement to speed up customer services.
Intranet pages
Not all companies need to have an online presence in the face of users, either because the business activity is very limited to a sector or because the sector does not use the Internet as a means to search for the company.
Some businesses can “afford” not to have an online presence without losing profits, but this does not mean that they cannot enjoy the benefits of the Internet in other ways, for example, by sharing private information within the company.
Intranet pages have private and restricted access to a certain number of people and allow the sharing of private information, data, values, projects among several workers and/or collaborators without third parties having access to them.
They are very practical pages for companies that have collaborators in different parts of the world since they limit the need to print or have documentation and data on physical supports.
These types of company websites are not closed or exclusive models, and it is common for some companies to include several of these types in a single online portal.
