What Type of Website Does My Business Need

The world has embraced digital, which is part of our everyday lives. It has changed the way businesses interact with existing customers and finds new ones. Having a website for your business forms a large part of that. Working with small businesses from all over the UK, the team here at E2E hear a lot of questions about having a website made for them. However, one of the most common ones is - what kind of website do I need?  

This blog will outline the most common types of websites that we build for a range of business owners and what they are fit for to see which is the best fit for you and your business. 

E-Commerce Websites

Need to sell products or services online? Then an eCommerce website is what you need. Ecommerce websites are built around a central order processing system that allows you to take your products and services to the world and handle them all in one central location - your website! A good eCommerce website will be able to:

• Showcase your products.
• Handle online payments for orders.
• Automatically handle order emails for new orders to both customers and yourself. 
• Capture all the required information from the customer to process the order. 

Ecommerce websites also need to be able to reach new customers for your business and handle any online marketing such as content marketing, SEO and PPC. 

Ecommerce websites are perfect for any shape and size of business that wants to sell products and services online businesses such as:

• Clothing brands
• Gift shops
• Food outlets
• Takeaways
• Retailers

Brochure Website

Typically websites that do not need to handle eCommerce orders or take online bookings are bundled together and called brochure websites. They are ideal for any business that needs a website such as:

• Tradespeople such as builders and joiners.
• Coffee shops
• Solicitors
• Accountants
• Hairdressers
• Cafe's
• Graphic designers

Pretty much any business that wants a website - but doesn't need additional features such as bookings and eCommerce! Although they sound simple, brochure websites need to be well designed and planned out to offer any return on your investment. 

Brochure websites need to include things like:

• How to find and contact your business.
• What services you offer, and what do they cost.
• Your service area and types of customers you serve.
• Customer reviews/testimonials.
• Links to your social media. 

In addition to the above, a good idea for small businesses is to include a well planned out about page and a well-maintained blog section to help your business grow. 

Booking Websites

Booking websites have the same functionality as an eCommerce website with slight technical changes to allow for bookings rather than purchases. These are used traditionally by businesses such as:

• Restaurants
• Cafes
• Hotels
• Holiday cottages
• B&Bs

Increasingly over the pandemic, they have also been used by businesses wishing to control the rate of customers in their premises to comply with any COVID restrictions such as hairdressers, garages etc. 

Summary

Getting your business online does not have to be complicated or even stressful. If you work with the right design team and are forearmed with a bit of information, the whole process can be straightforward. Most small business owners get muddled with the wealth of information about the types of websites. They can end up down a rabbit hole of information about static websites, CMS websites and custom code - which is why here at E2E, we aim to simplify the whole process for you. You tell us what you need your website to do - and we take care of the rest! 

Here at E2E, we are experts in small businesses and how they operate and here to take the strain from your shoulders when it comes to getting an online presence that works for you. We are a team of dedicated small business specialists who know precisely what it takes and have the tools, the skills and the passion for helping your business succeed online.