Institutional website, one page website, virtual store, hotsite, blog or business platform: which of these formats is the most recommended for your business, can you tell?
It is undeniable that brands need to be present on the Internet. But with so many possibilities, it can be difficult to choose just one of the types of business websites.
If you get confused just by reading the names we mentioned or even know, but have no idea of the difference between them, don't worry.
Below, we have prepared a comparative guide with the main types of websites for companies. In the end, you will be able to understand which one is the most suitable for what you need.
Stay with us to resolve, once and for all, this unavoidable demand for your business.
How to choose the best type of website for my business?
To answer this question, we need to know the answer to another important question: what is your company's goal on the Internet?
Before we get into the more technical aspects of the difference between website types, it's necessary to understand the goals and expected results of having an online presence.
You wouldn't open a physical store or office in your neighborhood if it wasn't aligned with your business strategies, would you?
In the same way, you need to understand what you actually want on the Internet to then think about website formats.
Next, you'll see how these channels work, what they are for and how they can meet your company's demands. Shall we check?
Types of websites for businesses
To help with visualization, we created this comparison chart on the main types of sites. Take a look:
By associating these characteristics with your business objectives, it becomes easier to understand which of the sites is the most recommended for your needs.
Just below, you'll see details about each of these 6 formats and understand which one is most recommended for your profile. Follow!
INSTITUTIONAL WEBSITE
In a very simple comparison, we can say that the institutional website is your office on the web.
Therefore, the virtual space needs to contain the main information about your business.
Also known as a traditional website or a business website, its main function is to inform its visitors about basic company data.
Usually, the institutional website has 5 to 7 pages, which can be:
- Home: the “reception” of your virtual office.
- About: information about what the business is, company history, team and other data.
- Services or Products: what the company sells.
- Cases: customer success stories.
- Blog: information relevant to the target audience.
- Contact: telephones, social networks, emails and other types of contact.
This is a format that caters very well to small, medium and large companies. After all, it usually manages to adapt to different technical and content production demands.
Do you want to know how an institutional website can be used? Next, we separate for you a very interesting example.
Example: Institutional website of Troiano Branding
A Troiano Branding is the first Brazilian company fully dedicated to brand management — such as Google, Globosat, Pão de Açúcar and Netshoes.
In its more than 24 years in the market, it has generated a lot of content and that is why its old institutional website was confused.
Thus, Troiano Branding decided to reformulate its online environment, bringing more clarity to the public.
The company sought Crowd in the areas of Design and Technology to develop a new institutional website aligned with the brand and with a clear structure.
Now, the virtual address has all its content carefully ordered and easily accessible for visitors.
The institutional website of Troiano Branding developed by Crowd you can check the case here.
ONE PAGE SITE
The name is self explanatory: single page website. The idea is to gather the main information about a company, exposing it objectively in a virtual address.
In this format, data about what the company produces, for example, must be exposed in a clear and direct manner. In addition, contact channels must be easily found by visitors.
Its leaner structure is a positive point with regard to investment and maintenance — which is why this type of site is recommended for small businesses and independent professionals.
On the other hand, having little space can be a challenge to expose all the necessary information - you need to pass the message in a very objective and striking way.
So, evaluate whether the one page site will really meet all your demands for a digital presence.
Example: e.body Brazil One Page Site
With a bold proposal, the e.body Brazil had the challenging mission of creating a website that could show its innovative method of physical activities.
For this, the academy contacted Crowd and, together, We develop a one page website that managed to present all its new solutions to potential customers.
VIRTUAL STORE
If your business has the goal of effectively making sales over the Internet, you need a virtual store — or, as the site is also known, e-commerce.
This digital environment works both for the commercialization of physical products, as well as infoproducts and services.
In addition, it is possible to use different types of platforms according to the needs of the business. Some of the best known are: Woocommerce, Shopify, Magento and VTEX.
E-commerce can be used by micro-enterprises or even by business giants. For this, of course, it is necessary to adapt the solution to the company's demand.
Whether for small or large, the structure of a virtual store is usually more robust, elaborate and complex than the other types of sites we've seen so far.
Therefore, it is important to carefully evaluate the financial and operational investments, in addition to the return on this development, ok?
Example: Undertop Online Store
Juliana Mansur, businesswoman at undertop, had a big challenge ahead. The lingerie brand was on social media, but there was a need to evolve this online presence in order to achieve sales.
Thus, the creator of the project aligned with Crowd, and we decided to adopt the Shopify platform to open the online store.
O result it was a striking e-commerce, responsive and aligned with the brand's values.
HOTSITE
The hotsite is a temporary format, generally used for specific events or campaigns.
If your company doesn't have a website yet but wants to make a one-off launch, you can create a hotsite, for example.
Simple and low investment, it is a format that suits many businesses — as long as it is aligned with your strategies, okay?
BLOG
The main function of the blog is to have content that is relevant to the brand's target audience and thus attract new visitors to the site.
In this way, texts, images and other materials are published with the aim of generating leads and, consequently, new business opportunities.
To be effective, the blog needs to be aligned with a good content marketing strategy, which can lead the reader to the action desired by the brand.
Due to its versatility, this type of website is recommended for any size of company.
Example: CROWD Blog
We believe so much in the results that a blog can generate that, here at Crowd, we have our own space completely dedicated to content.
See how the crowd blog is a virtual environment focused on creating and sharing rich information.
BUSINESS PLATFORM
Finally, business platforms are a kind of website that brings together different audiences — such as consumers and producers.
These robust virtual spaces connect people, forming real networks that interact with each other.
Due to their complexity, business platforms are recommended for larger companies that can adequately manage this demand.
Example: Foodpass Business Platform
With a bold proposal, the Foodpass arrived at the gastronomy and innovation market with the challenge of creating a virtual environment for doing business.
Together with Crowd, an online marketplace platform was developed. It connects sellers of classes, projects, courses, expeditions and gastronomic experiences with the buyers of these services.
How Crowd can help you develop your company's website
Remember the questions we asked right at the beginning of this conversation? Now, you should already have the answers.
- What is the purpose of your internet business?
- What is the best type of website for my business?
Contact us and learn how Crowd can put your company on the Internet. We can help you create the most suitable website for your business purpose.
Request one right now website budget for your company.
