Why do you want a web site? you will need to define specific objectives or reasons for having a web site, such as those listed below:
- Provide more information about products or services than is possible with ads or brochures.
- Acquire additional customers who will "discover" your company on the Web.
- Establish 24-hour accessibility.
- Receive sales orders.
- Compete with others on the Web.
- Provide technical updates and FAQs (frequently asked questions) for customers.
Once you've defined your objectives, you will need to determine how robust or complex your web site will be.
Online brochure
A relatively static or fixed web site of one to four "pages" that include your business name, information about your products or services, possibly some photos or maps and an email link to your business. (Think of a web page as the information that appears on the computer screen when you click on one URL or link. For example, everything you see right now by scrolling up and down is a web page.) Having an online brochure type of web site allows you to provide information to online customers and provides them the opportunity to correspond with you by email. This type of web site also has the potential of expanding your customer base if search engines list your site effectively. Although this type of web site is low cost and doesn't require frequent updates, it obviously has limited potential.Interactive Web Site
Interactive sites have a reply form or online ordering capabilities and/or internal links within the site. They are updated frequently and provide new information and announcements that draw web readers back to the site. They also usually offer more extensive information than an online brochure. They must be easy to use to be effective. Costs for these sites vary depending upon design complexity.Full Web Business
Makes use of a full range of web tools, such as "shopping cart" software, to actually conduct the full range of business on the Web. Elaborate sites use sophisticated techniques to capture marketing data about site visitors. These sites require a longer development cycle and a significant investment in time and money.
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