 What Do You Want Your Website to Do?
There are a lot of different kinds of websites – and there are a lot of people who know they want a website, but aren't even sure why. If you don't already know, you need to figure out exactly what it is that you want your website to do. What kind of thing do you want to put on it? Who are you trying to get to visit? Here's a quick guide to some of the most popular website types.
The Business Card Website.
For many people, having a website is something they feel the need to do as a duty, not because they really want to do it. In this case, it's perfectly justified to put up a website with nothing more than your name, your business name (if any), and your email address. You could also include your real-world address and your phone number, if you're comfortable with that. The key here is to at least put up something for someone who happens to be looking for you with a search engine.
You have to understand, though, that these kinds of sites can be as frustrating as they are helpful. Friends and co-workers may be excited to find your site, only to say "oh... is that all it does?" Customers, especially, have a tendency to get upset, especially if they just wanted to know something about your products or pricing. Not having a complete website makes work for them when they have to ask you about these things, and for you when you have to answer.
The CV/Portfolio Website.
An extension of the business card format is to make your website brief, and directed at getting people to call you if they're interested in you. It could just be a listing of the jobs you've had, or it could be an archive of the articles you've written for various publications – whatever, it's there to get you work. These kinds of websites can be effective, although you should realise that you're more likely to get some work because of a site that people find useful than because of one that's just about you.
The Brochure Website.
They're often-mocked in web design, but they're not really that bad: brochure-style websites simply reproduce the kind of material you would send out in a brochure to an interested customer, complete with pictures and technical details. Instead of actually doing any business online, you give the customer your contact information.
In many industries, really, this is the only way to work. There are things you just can't do with shopping carts and credit card processing, after all, especially when it comes to services. These kinds of websites are especially prevalent among businesses with a more local focus.
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