Which website for my company?
Having a website for your company is nowadays a must in order to develop your brand image and boost your business. In 2021, there will be no less than 1.84 billion websites in the world! You can imagine the diversity that this represents and all the possibilities that are offered for your company. Showcase site, e-commerce, intranet, blog: overview of the 4 main types of website to consider for your business.
An online presence to meet many objectives
Let’s start by defining what a website is. To be as simple as possible, it is a set of pages accessible from a web browser and connected by links called “hypertext”.
Being present on the Internet, via a website, can allow you to meet important objectives such as
- Be visible to a large audience
- Improve your reputation and your e-reputation among Internet users
- Develop your address book by collecting data on your prospects for example
- Marketing your products online
For institutional communication, opt for the showcase site
The first interest of a showcase site is to occupy the digital field by putting forward your brand image. You will present your company, your activity, your values/commitments but also your products and services. It will then allow you to establish contact with your visitor by proposing simplified contact zones and by communicating your contact information.
To begin its online presence, it is therefore the first action to implement. For an effective strategy, adapt the content published according to your target audience and what they are looking for. For example, for your :
- customers: create a link thanks to your values and your commitments.
- prospects: think of putting examples of achievements and customer reviews.
- employees and potential candidates: prepare a recruitment section.
And for all of them, build loyalty by encouraging them to return to your site regularly? Talk about your new products and communicate on all your news.
In order to be more efficient and to maximize your web visibility, the showcase site can be coupled with other types of sites such as a store or a blog.
For online sales, create an e-commerce site
You want to allow your customers/visitors to place orders online? Make the choice of an e-commerce site. Also called merchant site, with this type of site you can sell your products and services directly online. As for a physical store, the Internet users will be able to :
- Consult the technical characteristics of the product,
- Place an order by adding the items they are interested in to a virtual basket,
- Proceed to the secure online purchase.
For a real time management of your stocks, think of linking your e-commerce site to your ERP.
For internal communication, think intranet
The intranet is unique in that it targets a very specific audience, namely all employees. Very close to the showcase site, it allows to inform the internal public on the life of the company but also to exchange and work together. In short, it facilitates internal communication.
Access to this website is therefore restricted, and individual identifiers may be required to connect to it.
The main features offered on an intranet :
- Internal chat
- Documentary database
- Project management tool
- News and practical information
- Organization chart
- Directory
- …
To position yourself as an expert, express yourself through a blog
Through a blog, you can express yourself, on behalf of the company, on subjects related to its activity. It is an excellent way to present and enhance your expertise in the eyes of everyone (customers, prospects, suppliers, competitors…). This atypical website is part of a content strategy called Inbound marketing.
It is also one of the most effective tools to develop your e-reputation, but also to improve your natural referencing. Indeed, to keep your blog alive, you will have to publish new content regularly. And Google loves that!
