Even though each website can use the same basic technologies and encoding languages such as HTML, JavaScript, PHP or MySQL, what a website can do with these and other technologies is as diverse as what an individual company can do.

The actual question is – what works best for your business?

The most accurate way to respond to this question is to evaluate some of the different kinds of websites.  Frequently, in fact, it may be that you need more than one website.  Why is this?  Well, let’s take a peek at the array first:

• Informational Website – a typical site with homepage, about us, services and contact page.  Gives the user a broad summary of the company, product or service.
• Lead Collector – this style of website is intended to focus on a particular subject matter and to collect information from the visitor.  In most cases, these take the structure of landing pages, squeeze pages or at least a specific page on a larger site.
• Interactive sites – These cover a wide range of purposes, but are sites where visitors can network with the business and with each other.  Interactive websites are membership-based in most cases, or they have opinion polls, chat rooms and so on.  Examples of these are sites like Facebook, dating sites, discussion forums and many others.
• E-commerce – websites that collect payments.  These can be online stores, paid membership sites, online scheduling and rental collection portals, among others.

Of course, this is hardly a comprehensive list of all the possible variations a website can take, you get the idea.  A website can be a simple one-page brochure all the way up to the most complex social media or banking sites in the world.

The type of website, or websites, that you require to really profit from your online marketing efforts really depend on what you hope to achieve.  However, for almost every type of business, we would recommend at least two websites.

Your main website, such as yourdomain.com, is your general overview site.  It may also contain e-commerce, or interactive features, but it’s designed to give the visitor a big picture.

On the other hand, at least one landing page that focuses on a single product or service is also highly effective.  These are great lead-generation tools and are easy to promote online because of how specific they are.

For example, let’s say that you’re a manufacturer of protein bars.  Your main website, yummybars.com, showcases your business, your products, and lets customers buy online.  Now, you have a special new bar with a discount offer, so you create a URL called runnerenergybar.com.  This one-page website focuses only on the runner’s power bar and nothing else.  It has great text, pictures, maybe a video and a call to action that collects a name and email before the visitor gets to the sales page.  So this way, even if they don’t buy, you have a growing list that you can market to later on.

As you can see, in today’s digital market, a single website may not be enough.  By broadening the scope of your marketing efforts, it’s possible to capture a wider customer base and vastly improve your income!

Rank My Web’s portfolio has a wide range of diverse businesses utilizing many of the website functions we mentioned above. While our online portfolio only showcases a fraction of our clients, it is a great example of the different types of websites being used in the business world.  Give us a call today at (888) 235-6111 for a free evaluation or submit your request online and let us put together a Customized Digital Marketing Plan specifically geared for your business!