Within the realm of internet marketing, websites can have a variety of uses. Few online businesses will promote themselves through one single web presence. The large multinational companies who have a well-known brand name can manage with just the one website but that will be sub-divided into many different categories each of which is effectively a separate site although coming under the one domain. A little bit like the Bible, which is a collection of many documents of different kinds, written for different reasons, in different situations and different geographical locations over several hundred years, yet they are all presented within the one single book.
Many internet marketers will have a general information site which will primarily be a Blog, presenting a range of articles, links, etc. raising topics of interest for readers within a particular niche. This will not be a retail website as such, although it will bear links to sales pages as and when appropriate. One of the prime objectives of such a website is to gather subscribers for the opt-in list to which promotional material can then be sent. By posting items of interest such a website will build up a following of regular visitors who will, hopefully, become the customers of the future.
That website can build the regular readers understanding of you and your business. Facts about your business, your background, your specialisms, etc. can be drip-fed into the articles in your blog so your readers come to know you at a personal level and not just as someone who writes articles. Images can be used on this particular site. These might be pictures relating to the business or subjects dealt with in the articles; where appropriate they may be personal pictures too, all of which will help with the building of relationship with your regular readers.
The other significant type of website is the mini-site which is usually a one page site which promotes one particular product or service. This is primarily a sales site and the content will be a sales letter. Each product a marketer has to promote will have its own website, thus keeping its identity very clearly defined. These sites will have just the one purpose to sell products. These sites will be kept clear of any other information or detail which gets in the way of the sales letter.
In between these two kinds of website might be positioned a news site where matters of interest can be raised and discussed. There would be no daily articles produced on such a site but certain articles might be used on an occasional basis as well as links to sites of interest. This site could reinforce content emails being sent out as well as making “watch this space” announcements when the launch of new products is imminent. This might also be designed as a kind of forum site where online comments could be exchanged and feedback received.
Online business, however, really needs just the two kinds of website, the information site, which is the hub of your business, and the individual product sites. The news site is definitely an optional extra but could be used effectively if you have the time to develop it properly. Your websites should ultimately bring your potential customers to one of your product sites in a positive frame of mind, ready to look at and consider your business offer with an open mind.