Website Buyers Guide
When first venturing into the internet and web design there are many things to take into consideraton. It is not uncommon for people to buy a website based upon a few ideas they have only to soon find that the solution they have purchased is not really what they need. Here we will cover a few of the different types of website available to help you make a more informed choice.
1. Static Website.
A static website is a website with very few moving parts so to speak. Static websites are the best solution for company profiles or simple points of contact. Many business's do not need any sort of functionality on their website but they do need to appear in the search results or at least have an online reference point. This is where static websites come in.
Static webistes typically have less than 10 pages. Most of these pages will contain information relating to certain aspects of the clients business and other features such as a portfolio image gallery or a 'Frequesntly Asked Questions' page. Nearly all static websites have a contact form that will email the site owner direct.
Even though static websites are not full of function and user experience they usually have some of the best graphic designs around as a static website is the type of website that best lends itself to graphic design.
2. Dynamic Website.
A dynamic website is a site where things change. In the simplest form a dynamic website would be much like a static site however the site owner can actually log in a edit existing content or even add new content. These kind of dynamic sites are usually called Content Management Systems (CMS) however there are many other tyypes of dynamic website available. The following descriptions are all concerned with dynamic webistes of one kind or another.
3. Blogs.
The word Blog is dirived from the term 'Web Log' and the use of these sites is in the name. Yes, Blogs are online journals or diaries that work chronologically.
Unlike the diary of a teenager a Blog can be a very powerful business tool and many people make lots of money simply by posting blog posts to their blog. The owner of a blog posts a new blog post whenever the urge takes them. The new blog post is then sent to the homepage of the site. When another new post is made the older post is moved down the home page and the new post sits at the top.
Blogs work best for those people who have lots of different special offers or like to keep people informed on the latest news in their trade. Blog posts tend to be very search engine friendly and quickly show up in the SERPS' however as much as they get into the search results quicker than normal web pages they tend not to stay there as long as normal web pages. Many static webiste owners do very well by complimenting their site with a blog then writing many blog posts about their site or services.
4. Content management Systems. (CMS)
A content management system could be compared to a blog in that it gives the site owner the ability to log-in and add new content. The main difference between a CMS and a blog is that a CMS is structured to create a website with sections and categories regardless of chronological factors. (A blog is a diary accross time - A CMS is an archive of info.)
The use of content management sytems is pretty much unlimited. If you are thinking of owning a site and you know you will be constantly adding new content then a content management system could well be the way to go for you.
5. E-commerce Solutions
E-commerce webites are the sites that allow you to sell products. Normally an e-commerce webiste will only be deployed if the site owner has many products and stock as an e-commerce application is designed to handle anything upto thousands of products. In cases where you may only have a few products a full blown e-commerce solution may not be the best way to go.
E-commerce solutions can also be created in such a way that they also utilise blog and cms features. It all depends on what the site owner wishes to be able to do.