How to Choose the Best Type of Website for Your Business

Choosing the best type of website for your business will set the tone for potential customers, verifying to them that your business is not only trustworthy but also one that they would like to do business with. Since your website will be a very important marketing tool for your business, it is important to take the time to consider which type of website will work best for your brand needs.

At FirstPage Marketing, our team of Internet marketing professionals understands how valuable a professionally designed and built website can be for any type of business. That is why we offer a selection of website design and development services as well as many performance-driven digital marketing services designed to help your website generate better leads, sales and results.

Pre-Set Framework Websites

One of the most popular types of websites on the market today are pre-set framework websites because they allow business owners to get their new website up and running in a short period of time at a lower cost. Since this type of website works with an already established structure and layout, only certain elements of the website, such as colours, images, text content, and some components can be changed.

Should you use a WIX or Squarespace website?

Custom Websites

Another popular type of website available for businesses are custom websites, which are specifically created and custom coded for your particular business needs. Since this type of website is completely customized using various frameworks, you will be able to have more say in the overall look and feel of the website design, including everything to do with the branding and layout of the website. All custom websites are created from scratch, ensuring that they fit the client’s or brand’s specific wants and needs.

Learn all about custom web development.

Popular Website Add-Ons

Another thing that you will need to consider before choosing the best type of website for your business is what website add-ons will need to be included in the overall design. While there are many different website add-ons to choose from, the two most popular website additions include:

Content Management Systems (CMS)

Both pre-set framework websites and custom websites can easily be integrated with a Content Management System (CMS), which allows business owners to manage the content and images on the website by themselves. There are two types of CMS to choose from: super simple CMS, which requires almost no training and allows business owners to modify the majority of the text content and images on the website, or full CMS, which is driven by a database structure that offers full administration of the website and provides the business owner with the ability to expand the functionality of the website through the use of plug-ins.

For business owners who are too busy to manage the content on the website by themselves, both pre-set framework websites and custom websites can be developed without CMS. While developing without the use of CMS means that you will have to rely on your digital marketing company to make website updates for you, your website will ultimately provide better speed performance and can benefit from custom code expansions.

Find out if WordPress is a good CMS for your website.

eCommerce Systems

Similar to CMS, both pre-set framework websites and custom websites can be designed to include an eCommerce system, which will allow your business to electronically sell goods and services to customers. eCommerce systems can provide a faster, cheaper, and more convenient purchasing option for your customers, as well as provide you with a competitive advantage over businesses that only sell their products through traditional methods.

What should you know about online payment gateways?

4 Features to Consider Before Choosing a Website Type

When it comes to choosing the best type of website for your business, there are many key factors you will need to consider. Some of the main website features that need to be considered before deciding on a website type for your business include:

1. Website User Experience

Custom websites are specifically built with user experience in mind, as they provide smooth transitions from one element on the page to the next. This type of website also takes into account header and footer structure, making it easy to navigate the entire website. While pre-set framework websites also incorporate good header and footer structures, these structures cannot always be changed to fit the specific needs of your target audience.

2. Upgrades

While websites with CMS tend to offer updates for security patches, new features, SEO support, and plug-in support almost every month, these websites should be updated with the latest upgrades as soon as they are made available. PHP websites (websites without CMS), on the other hand, do not have as frequent of updates but can usually go about six months without being updated, while still remaining secure and functional.

3. Flexibility

CMS sites can be designed to perform numerous operations that are independent of each other and connected with various systems, such as an integrated CRM for sending contact registration data or a connected order-processing system where orders are processed independent of your website. While websites with CMS can have a variety of functions in applications, it is important to note that a CMS website, much like PHP websites, may require custom development to make these operations work properly for your business.

4. Security

One of the biggest concerns for online business websites today is security and preventing hackers from gaining access to important company information. Since CMS websites can lower website security, PHP websites tend to be a more secure option. Thanks to their use of custom code and frameworks with built-in functions for encrypting against common vulnerabilities (SQL Injection, Cross Site Scripting [XSS], and Cross Site Request Forgery [CSRF]), the security on PHP websites is much harder to breach. Learn how to perform a website security audit here.

Choosing the best type of website for your business can be a difficult decision, but it is not one that you have to make alone. At FirstPage Marketing, we offer website design and development services that our tailored to each individual client’s needs. If you would like to learn more about the different types of websites available, or if you are interested in one of our services (Internet marketing, print marketing, marketing strategy, search engine optimization, website design and development, or social media marketing), please contact us today.

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