Website types

There are many different types of websites that have their own advantages and disadvantages. I have compiled a list of the most common web site types.

Hand coded website Hand coded websites give the web designer complete flexibility with the design and look of the website as they build it from the bottom up. The website can be build with an array of web languages, the most popular being HTML, CSS,Javascript, PHP and MySQL It has the advantage that it can be created to fit any need and for a small business is often cheaper than a Content management website (CMS), as below.

However, the average business owner will not be able to edit the website and make content updates unless they are familiar with some of the web design languages. Even so, it should be quick for a web developer to make content updates.

A Content management System (CMS) allows the user to log in too the back end of a website and make content updates. For a small business owner they would be given a user name and password that they would use to log into their website from where they can add text and pictures. Examples of CMS systems include Joomla and Wordpress.

Online shopping carts allow business to sell products online. There are many shopping cart software packages available that can be integrated into a website. Examples include 'Magento' and Opencart. For every product that is sold on the website there is a small transaction charge. The transaction fee is a percentage of the goods sold and is dependent upon the software used and the volume of goods that the business is selling. Another cost with an online shopping cart is the initial set up cost of the payment gateway, which again greatly varies.

For a website that has a low volume of sales I would recommend setting up a PayPal ecommerce website. The transaction fee is between 1.4-3.5% and there are no set up fees. It is also simple to integrate into an existing website.