Online presence of a brand is never complete without a website. Creating a website is much easier than the days of HTML codes. You do not need to hire programmers or developers. Content management systems like WordPress take care of website in minutes. You will still need a digital assistant to help understand how to align your brand with a website. This article will answer all your questions on whether you need a website and what kind of website it can be.
How to create a website and how many types of websites are out there
2003 was a significant year for internet. WordPress was released for the first time and Google acquired Blogger from Pyra Labs. Both these content management platforms redefined publishing and along with social networking sites ushered in Web 2.0 or the age of interactive websites. WordPress allows you to make any kind of website without writing a single line of code. It also allows you to become a content creator, author, editor and publisher, all in one. Let us explore the different types of website which an entrepreneur could possibly need.
Single Page WordPress Website
The perfect solution for providing information about your business of brand which is mobile screen friendly. In a single page website there is no menu, just blocks, placed one after the other. Providing information in a logical sequence to the visitor. Most common use of single page website is product launch. It is also used in personal website. Below is an example of single page personal website.
Read more about single page website here.
Single Page Website should be used by entrepreneurs when
- Information only website is needed
- Mini product gallery
- Articles will not be written
- Not enough information to display on About, Locate and Contact page
Basic WordPress Website with essential pages
When too much of information has to be displayed like a detailed product portfolio page or courses conducted by a training institute, a single page website cannot suffice. It also gives the entrepreneur an opportunity to neatly arrange content in the form of pages. The basic essential pages are as follows
- About Us – Describing the work and nature of your brand or business. It can also be a story of how the idea originated.
- Contact Us – This page contains contact details like address, phone numbers, social media accounts, map location and so on. We need a separate page because in case of multiple members in your office cannot fit on a single block.
- Product or service page – This page contains product catalog or portfolio. It can also be a store page where people can directly place orders for products.
- Privacy policy – This page gives out detailed instructions on the material posted on the website and its origin.
- Our Team – If you have hired professionally qualified people, this is the place to put them on display. Portfolio, pictures, credentials and a detailed bio.
This is a major upgrade from a single page website, but still does not need articles to be posted. If you are planning to run such kind of website, you need to hire a WordPress professional to carry out technical updates to the website and make minor changes in content as and when required.
You also might consider if you need to buy a hosting package. Single website basic hosting packages come for as little as Rs 7000 for five years. Other alternative is you look for an agency who is able to host the website on your behalf.
Complete business website
WordPress can help create powerful business websites using themes and plugins. Top themes has ready to import templates to create beautiful and professional website up and running in minutes. Your website effort will be divided in two parts. first the design and pages with the initial content. Second part will be about the articles. You will need to write an article at least once a month. You have to make arrangements to write and post articles. If there is any reason or issue not posting articles, then you should seriously consider falling back to single page website or multipage without articles.
Articles can cover product updates, new releases or special features of the product or service. The biggest advantage of this approach is that customers will be able to reach you through articles. Well researched articles and keywords will feature on Google search. Your website will keep coming up on search when people search for anything related.
A business website can also include a product or portfolio page. It can also contain a photo gallery. A WordPress plugin can help convert the website to perform any specific role or task like event hosting.
WordPress is so flexible and configurable that you can almost create anything with it. Here is an example with a payment gateway and donation page.
Blog
Purely from an entrepreneur point of view, a blog is not a good choice for a brand. Blog began as an online journal. It gave rise to a new kind of people called bloggers. So we have travel bloggers, food bloggers, health and wellness bloggers and the mightiest of all, tech bloggers. They had a virtually unopposed run till influencers came on the scene. Bloggers feed you with knowledge and information while influencers provide you with entertainment.
Most brands and companies have their blog but it is always as part of their main website. Very rarely you see a brand maintaining just a blog. So this should be the last option for an entrepreneur. Here are a couple of examples of a blog.
https://www.thetimelock.photos/
How to decide for the right website
First consideration to maintain a website is budget. Except for bloggers who maintain their own websites, everyone else needs to hire someone. A business or brand website takes a lot of effort to maintain and keep updated with content.
Second consideration is do you have enough content to update on a daily basis. With a limited product range and mostly reaching out to customers, a website is too much of an online presence to maintain.
Best option for an entrepreneur
A single page website is best for an entrepreneur. It is easy to create, has limited content, does not need regular updating and well within budget. It provides the basic but powerful online presence for single owned brands.
Plus as soon as you are ready, the website can be changed to whatever you need.
What can you get from Sukaone
We work with you to understand the exact requirement of your business and brand. Then depending on your budget, we not only provide you with the best solution, but remain with you till you reach your goals.
Everything from hosting, selection of domain name, creation of the website and the subsequent technical maintenance. All is covered by us.
I am an MBA graduate with dual qualification in Finance and HR. I have done a Google Certified course in Digital Marketing. With many such qualifications under my belt, I am now focused on women entrepreneurship. With brands like SukaOne and Narisakti, I help women to make their idea to reality and navigate their way through the maze of digital work.