Every business needs a website, no matter what sort of business it is, or what size. At the very least, an Online Business Card style website will ensure a Google search will find your business, and allow you some control in how it is presented online.

Following is a summary of some different categories of business website.

Online Business Card Website

This is as basic as you can get, and should be the minimum requirement for your business.

• One page website
• Displays your logo and tagline
• Includes basic details such as address and contact information
• Can also include a brief description of products and services offered

Online Brochure Website

This is a more standard website for a small business, and will suit most businesses with basic requirements.

• Approximately five pages
• The home page will be sales focused and feature an overview of your business offering
• Products and services will be the main focus of the website
• A page about your business will be included, such as your team and history
• A contact page is mandatory, and can include a map and a contact form

Content Management System (CMS) Websites

For business with lots of information to be organised and made available, a database enables efficient storage and retrieval of information.

A CMS features an administration area that you can log into to manage the website content and pages. Often an administrative staff member will take on this role.

Using a CMS allows website management to become very efficient, and most feature:

• Search engine optimised web pages
• Document and image management
• User profiles
• Creating and saving draft pages
• Microsoft Word style toolbar to simplify rich text formatting

Blog Website

Blogs are great for generating traffic from search engines like Google. A blog can be a standalone website, or can be integrated into any other type of website.

Maintaining a blog requires some writing skills, and commitment to writing regularly, and on topic. Twice a day is fantastic, daily is good, weekly is fine, and monthly is the bare minimum. If you can’t commit to this schedule, then a blog is probably not for you.

Ecommerce Websites

Ecommerce websites are focused on selling products online, and usually feature shopping cart software and online payment systems.

They can be large or small, simple or complex. The products can be physical and require delivery by courier or post, or electronic with instant digital delivery.

Payment methods can be secure credit card, Paypal, direct deposit, and many more.

Application Websites

These days, virtually any kind of software you can imagine can run on the internet.

The great advantage of this is the ability to access it from anywhere in the world, you just need a computer and an internet connection, or a smart phone, such as an iPhone or Blackberry.

Another advantage is the data storage is in a centralised location, rather than on a multitude of desktop computers.

Not too long ago, self employed tradespeople and similar small businesses didn’t need a website. Things have changed. Now if your business doesn’t have a website, you’re probably missing out on potential customers and opportunities.

Take a plumber for example. Plumbers never used to need websites, people used the yellow pages or the classifieds in the local newspaper. Now people use the internet, and especially Google, to find and research services.

If you’re in small business and don’t have a website, then your competitors will get first go at getting the customer.

On your website you can educate your potential customers about your business, and let them know why they should use your services. You can use a promotional offer or specials to encourage enquiries, and you can include testimonials from satisfied customers to reinforce your message.

Tradies generally don’t require a complex and expensive website, just something basic that does the job well.

Fig Creative is offering a website package which is perfect for tradies. It’s low cost, super easy to use, and you can update it yourself with very little computer knowledge.

It has everything you need to get started on the internet right away, so you can start capturing some of those Google searchers!

Call 1300 775 182 to get started.

It can be challenging to get to the top of the search results for generic terms, such as ‘website design’. However, by combining keywords with a locality, you are suddenly targeting a niche and only competing with businesses in the same locality, and therefore have a much greater chance of ranking highly in the search results.

Local search is becoming more important, as people search for services when they are visiting a new area, and where people used to use the yellow pages, now they use Google instead. And with the increasing popularity of mobile phones with internet access, people increasingly look up services and directions wherever they are.

Anyone who has ever planned a wedding will know how much work goes into organising the whole thing to ensure a memorable and glitch-free day. So the first thing you need is an experienced wedding planner to help and provide advice. Maleny Montville Wedding Professionals are provide an invaluable list of Quality Wedding Suppliers, and will assist you with all aspects of your preparations, co-ordinating and styling your event.

You’ll also need a ceremony and reception venue, a marriage celebrant, professional photographer and a wedding florist. Luckily, Maleny and the Sunshine Coast Hinterland has an abundance of professional services.

For a wedding venue, it’s hard to go past award winner Maleny Manor. If you prefer a traditional church ceremony, then the Little White Wedding Church provides vintage charm set in a beautiful rural setting with sweeping views.

Marriage celebrants are becoming more popular, and you’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing your marriage celebrant in Maleny. Ian Stevenson from I Can Marry You and Janelle Wellsteed are professional marriage celebrants who would be more than happy to discuss your Maleny wedding plans. As an aside, If you’re getting married in Townsville, then you can’t go past Weddings in Townsville (Hi Mum).

You’ll want the photography handled by a top quality experienced professional, such as Penny Riddoch, to ensure your special day is captured in the best possible light, to be cherished for years to come.

When it comes to wedding flowers, there’s really only one choice, award winning florist Mondo Floral Designs.

With so many professional services on offer, it’s no wonder Maleny is such a popular place to get married.

The website development industry is composed of many small players. Professional website design firms are rarely larger than ten people, and many are just one person.

Why are there no big website design companies? Big companies offer website services along with their phone connection and internet services, but they are too big to offer the flexibility that small business requires, so they haven’t been very successful at it. It’s not like providing a telephone or internet connection where a handful of packages will cater to the majority of customers.

Websites are different; there is no one size fits all approach. To understand the unique needs of a small business, it helps if you are also a small business, with enough flexibility to be able to adapt to your customers unique requirements.

Ten years ago, most people would look for goods and services in the Yellow Pages or newspaper classifieds. Today, people ‘Google’ the business they are seeking. A business with a professionally built website is more likely to be found near the top of the results for a relevant search.

The types of business that don’t need a website are diminishing as more and more people search for everything online. Five years ago, many categories of business didn’t need a website. Why would a motor mechanic need a website? Today if you are searching for a local motor mechanic on Google and the top result takes you to a well designed web page, you may well contact that business first. Especially if it provides details of the services provided, operating hours, pricing and contact information.

Consider a restaurant website for example, it could contain information about the style of food served, the location, operating hours, menus, how to contact or make a booking. This information would be very useful to the person looking for somewhere to eat out in the local area.

A brochure website is simplest and most economical type of website; it can even be a ‘one pager’ – just a home page and nothing else. It’s an information source about your business that is accessible to potential customers wherever they are located. As a minimum it will contain sales and marketing copy and contact information. It is for businesses operating in the ‘offline’ world – also referred to as ‘bricks and mortar’ businesses – which have a physical office or shop that they operate from, and they don’t sell goods or services through the internet.

As more and more people search for goods and services online, consider the advantage for your business of a professionally designed brochure website.