If you’re like most business owners, you know you need a website, but you may not be clear exactly why. What is your site supposed to do? This podcast will help you clarify what kind of website you want to have.

Hi, this is Steve Johnsen and today I want to talk to you about the three different types of website that you can have.

If you’re like most business owners, you know you need a website, but you may not be clear exactly why. Are you using your website to sell products? To convince prospects your service is superior to the competition? Or simply to have a presence online?

I always advise my clients that there are three main categories of websites, and when you choose to build (or rebuild) your website, you should be aware of what type of site you need (and what type you’re building).

The first type of website is what I refer to as a billboard: this is a site that just sits there and serves primarily as an online brochure. This kind of site can be helpful when you only need to “prove” you are a legitimate business, and to give visitors basic information on who you are and what you do. This is a static site, and doesn’t actually “do” anything for your business. (My brother was a cabinet maker, and he got all his business from various general contractors. But when he went to get some financing for the business, one of the requirements from the bank was that he have a website. So we had to get a website up for him just to prove that he was really in business.)

The second type of website is a step up from the online brochure. We call this a “branding” site. It may look nice. It may convince a few people to buy from you, and it’s well-built enough so that someone searching online might be able to find you. However, this type of site still is not a main factor in growing your business—it may help you close a sale, but it won’t do much to generate business for you.

However, if you’re getting a lot of business through referrals, your website can have a much bigger impact on the process than you think. Even though your customer has given their friend your name, the friend is probably going to look you up online before they call. So you need your website (at a minimum) to convince them to make the call sooner rather than later. Even if your website is not actively bringing in leads, you want it to be good enough that you’re not losing half of your referral business out the back door.

The third type of website is a site that actually makes money for your business—a website that literally acts as your #1 employee, actively bringing in new connections, new customers, and new sales. It is this kind of website that can take your business to heights of success you never dreamed possible. It’s a site that has people connecting with you through your ongoing digital marketing efforts. It’s a site that makes an emotional connection with your prospective client when they visit your site. It’s a site that makes your cash register ring.

As you look forward and consider growing your business, ask yourself: what type of website does my business need? One that is a placeholder, one that is used for online branding, or one that is a workhorse, building your customer base and dramatically growing your sales?

If you need help evaluating what kind of site you have or what kind of website you need, feel free to reach out to me by email.