We Build Websites to Fit You
Well has it been said that God has made us all different that He might make us all one? I can imagine how boring this world would be if all of its seven billion plus inhabitants all had the same favorite colors or favorite foods.
Yes, we are surely different because variety is the spice of life. Now, that you have made the decision to bring your future online and start enjoying the type of working experience that will enable you to work from home, Starbuck’s or the Caribbeans the next logical step is to figure out what type of website you need and they are aplenty. Today we will be looking at the top 10 Most Popular types of website and compare their Features, Functions, & Benefits against your wants and need as you make 2019 your year to remember.
First, let’s define exactly what Features, functions, and Benefits are and what they do and what all that means to you. You will see what I just did there in a moment. Features, Functions, and benefits are selling tools that helps someone know what something is, what it does, and what it means to them. This, in turn, helps your potential client know how to make an informed decision by understanding what their needs are.
Features
A feature is an aspect or part of a product. It will then become unanimous with the name given to that product. In the case of a car, for instance, features would be things like the entertainment system, or the alarm system, heated seats, or automatic transmission.
Functions
A function is what a specific feature does. Like in the example above with the entertainment system some of the functions would be AM/FM/Cassette or CD or if the speakers are BOSE or BEAT or if it the primary unit is BlueTooth compatible.
Benefits
Now that we have qualified whar Features and Functions are that leaves us with Benefits. What are the benefits? Well, simply put, a benefit is what the function of the feature of a product means to you. What does it do for me, baby? Show me the money.
A benefit is a positive outcome in favor of the recipient. Benefits are the exact opposite of a drawback or a hindrance. Every feature will have a function that should cause benefits. In the case of our entertainment system above the benefit would be that it will relax the mind of the hearer and make the trip seem shorter and much more enjoyable or may even educate you while you turn your new car into a university on wheels. The benefits are endless. It is the benefit that will bring fulfillment to your new found endeavor and being able to provide handsomely for those you care the most about will not be too shabby either.
The Product is a Website. The Features are all the things that the website will be equipped with to meet your needs such as a cart, or a blog, or a Learning Management system or a Forum etcetera. The Function is how these features will work not only independently but also as a single unit once the website is up and running. The Benefits? Well, that’s the money, show me the money, hell, that’s the easy part.
The Traps into Which People Fall.
I recently decided that life was just too short not to have what you need or want so I decided that since I am profoundly disabled and spend a lot of time in the bed that I was going to have the best bed around. My mattress cost us $5,600.00. Yep. Before you have a heart attack, you should know that I work in the bed often because I am not able to be about and I probably happen more time there than you do your car. How much did you spend on your car? Plus, with a laptop, my bed will outrun you Chevrolet any day. I have already been around the world several times in the last half hour.
I knew what I needed and wanted so I got it after a lot of research. Here’s the trap. I DO NOT KNOW A DAMN THING ABOUT BUILDING A BED!! That’s right. I bought the best from the best and had it delivered. I do not know why so many people fall for the trap of hiring someone and buying expensive courses to teach them how to build their websites and years and thousands of dollars later a freaking five years old could have done better. The truth hurts.
However, before you start a website for your business or remodel an existing website let’s look at the types of sites that are available.
Types of Websites
If you want a website that you cannot edit, then you want what is called Static sites.
Now, even if you have a professional to build your website, there are still some basic things that you will need to know or at least should know just like if you bought a new car from your local dealer, you should yet probably know how to put gas in it if you want to go anywhere. Also, even if you never have to, it would probably want to know how to change a flat tire and check the oil and water. Leave the heavy lifting to the professionals.
If you want to be able to make updates like changing the prices on the 1st and 15th of the month when you run your sales you should have no problem making quick and simple edits and updates. You will need an Editable Brochure Sites for this. This type of website is going to need something called a CMS or Content Management System.
The next type of site is something called a membership site or to be technical it is an Editable Dynamic Website. These websites may be for websites that sell products or online banking or has an audience of shared enthusiast. These websites will always engage its members to log in. These sites usually will not allow the members to make changes unless highly restricted or the user must be assigned a more significant role by the site administrator. These sites are almost always self-managed.
If you have been to the Mall lately, you have probably encountered a few tumbleweeds here or there as they are rapidly going the way of the rotary phones and phone booths. I hate the fact that telephone booths have become so scarce as it is hard for me to find now a place to change when there is an emergency.
I said all of that to tell this. People are more and more turning to the internet to make their selections for products they need from brand names they trust — malls and chain stores and beginning to go the way of the dinosaurs. The type of website that sells well directly from the site you are own instead of passing you to a different website is called an E-commerce Websites: E-Commerce websites will always have at least one payment gateway, e.g., Stripe, PayPal.
Many of the websites I have told you can have many different features, functions, and benefits. These websites can be customized or cookie cutter and vary in cost depending on many many factors and Web Application. The sites that are custom made will always be more, but the benefits from high quality and good fit of a website custom tailored to your specific needs will are by far outlast the bitterness of a few more bucks. DO NOT SETTLE..get what you want and need. Do not be a pound foolish to be a penny wise.
E-commerce Websites
E-commerce is rapidly growing in popularity in the way of websites globally due to the marketing ability and nature of them. You can shop on a site at 0300 in the morning because you either can’t sleep or because that is the only time that is available with three kids and four dogs and being a single parent. Time and location are no longer issues.
A Seller can meet a Buyer’s needs with various types of transactions to include ordering products and then making the payment(s), along with getting the item(s) shipped. All of these things can now be done online and are rapidly growing popular as there are so many items in demand today that call for the buyer to remain anonymous.
Some of the things that you can expect to find on an E-Commerce website are the sales pitch areas and sections, the store areas where various products can be picked out or browsed, the cart area so you can make edits and then, of course, the customer checkout area. Be sure to ask us for an estimate for a custom E-Commerce website to supplement your existing business or income or to replace them altogether.
Websites for Personal Use
The idea uses of websites of this nature is for a pure expression of ideas or the dissemination of knowledge or instructions. These sites are more like Blogs, and although there is confusion that exists about the differences between a blog and a website, I assure you there are significant differences.
The primary idea here is to enable individuals to share information and photos with family and friends. Often time Families will use these types of sites to share pictures and track time with one another. This type of place is growing in popularity with institutions of Higher Learning to help classmates track and keep up with one another in a fashion where time and miles cannot separate them.
Often times, these types of sites do not even require hosting as the domain registrar sometimes offer free space which will allow you to take advantage of an ideal situation and create a personalized site.
However, the name of your website domain may not be ideal or even be quite lengthy. The first part of your Url have the ISP name (Internet Service Provider), and the last part has your name as a person. This type of website will have very limited server capabilities and practically no search engine optimization meaning only those who already know it already exist will be able to find it. So, as you can tell, this type of website is not ideal for marketing or a profitable gain type of business that is capable of yielding an ROI.
Websites for Corporations
Websites can be broken up by roles so that different users will have different abilities to do different things on the site. What this does is allow different partitions through a site that will enable it to have from ends and backends and this way it can update your clients while also having the ability to recruit new clientele and while providing a portal for employees to communicate one on one or all at once trough forums and video chats. This would also allow the company to stay in almost continuous contact with new and old customers alike. They will always have a well-designed portfolio for the clients and Systems of Procedures and protocols for the employees.
Small & Medium Enterprises (SME) Websites
Small and medium-sized enterprises are quickly becoming the Apex Predators in the thrill of the hunt that is online marketing. SMEs sites are the most ideal due to much cheaper hosting costs and the fact that they do not need to keep a full-time WebMaster or IT guy on standby due to a much more user-friendly design and set up.
One of the biggest mistakes that new online entrepreneurs make is that they try to go it alone. Why not synergize and overcome the often expensive cost of doing business while making a much larger online footprint to be picked up by Google and other search engines?
Your website should be easy to navigate, be very engaging to your clients, should provide a full product description of the products or merchandise you are peddling, and have a point to the type of content you include. Relevancy matters.
Websites for Consultation
Consultation websites are specifically designed for offering consultative advice about particular subjects. The customers of these sites usually get various forms of information and insight on how to solve issues concerning everything under the sun.
Websites Capable of Accepting Online Payments
Everywhere we look these days we see one scam after another. Even trusted and well know sites can be cloned and this is why we need to be vigilant about using only trusted sites like the ones that have been verified by Google to make online payments. Payment Service Providers (PSP), allow customers to pay online by a bank transfer, with a credit card, or even a check using the routing number and account number.
This type of system will offer zero risks to the user and ensure that clients only pay for what they purchase and without incurring hidden charges, especially with less trusted countries concerning transactions internationally.
Writers/Author Sites
These are websites which are designed to include biographies, various excerpts, sorted catalogs of valuable published works, sources for links to publications of varying writers, etc.
Author sites, are acquired when you yourself with a following of people who have found interest in your form of writings from Social Media such as Facebook, Twitter, or maybe even a private blog. You should find that this will enhance the marketing value of future publications.
Community Websites
Community Websites are sites that have begun to crop up in the last ten years or so. They are sites that help to connect people online who share similar interest and seem to be the new hangouts like the strip in days gone be and the chat room that was not that long ago.
With these types of sites, people share stories, ideas, photos, and events. They may find dates or escorts or just simple friendship. People tend to be exceptionally social and interact socially and this is the reason we often refer to such sites as Social Media.
A few examples of these kinds of sites would be Facebook.com, Linkedin.com, Twitter, and photo sharing sites likePinterest.com and picasa.com would also fall under this type of websites.
In Summary
Acquiring a website is simple, with the company like Web Mastery 101 and with the right team or organization designing it for you so you don’t waste precious time, resources and finances.
I know that many of you can achieve more by selling your business ideas than trying your hand at building your own website, unless building websites are what your business is, like mine and my team.
Regarding costs or how cheap the hosting, domain, design and many many other concerns, the monies and time are wasted if it doesn’t work. Don’t risk it. Contact us today. Well has it been said that the best place in the world to hide a dead body is on page two of Google. No one goes there.
Thank you for reading.
-a.k.a. Teddy Bear
