A professional website could be the launch pad needed for your business. When a website is built well you could soon see a high return on your investment (ROI). Professional websites stand out compared to low cost budget websites. Getting the right type of site built is paramount to its success. For instance if you need a website for your company that needs to be updated on a regular basis you will need to either hire someone with web skills to maintain it, or make sure the website is content manageable which anyone can update.



There are 3 main types of websites you can have built: Static website, E-Commerce website and Content Management. Below is some information on each:

Static Website

A static website is a website that doesn't change. Once up that's it unless you know a webmaster or someone familiar with HTML which can edit your site. These types of websites are ok if you just want a few pages that will never need changing. Obviously if you had a static site that didn't change but one day you move offices or the phone number changes you will have to find someone with the skills to change it. Static sites are ideal as a starting point for your web presence.

E-Commerce

E-Commerce websites are the perfect way for you to have an online shop where people can buy products from you. With some E-Commerce sites you can have unlimited products, unlimited categories, shopping cart features, secure administration area and integration with leading payment systems such as PayPal.

Content Management

A content managed website is a site of any size which you can log into a control panel and edit the pages quickly and easily. This type of website is great for those companies or people who do not have any web development skills. They are a bit more pricy but well worth the extra cost. You will never need to enlist the help of a web design company again.

There are also more fancy looking sites with images that change and blend which are built using Macromedia Flash. These sites look pretty but unless you have an up to date browser you will not be able to view the content. The down side of having a website built in flash is that know one will ever find it. Search engines ignore all flash on a website which means none of your pages will be found from a search. Search engines analysis text and only text. So having a website built in flash, or a site with just images might look pretty but it won't be practical. Flash is ok in moderation, like for a banner or logo, but keep it as that and you shouldn't go wrong.

Many people are oblivious to the fact that having a website that works for search engines is more important than a website that looks pretty. There is little point in having a website that looks great but can not be found. It will be a complete waste of money. You want your website to be search engine friendly (read up on SEO) as well as looking professional and selling your product well.