There are an estimated 1.7 billion websites on the internet, with various types of websites serving different purposes. Today, we’ll delve deeper into the differences between e-commerce and regular informational websites in order to provide insight to readers who are thinking of building their own website.
Regular Informational Websites
Regular informative websites are typically blogs, corporate websites and other sites that display information for visitors to see. The primary goal of these websites is to provide additional information so that your target audience can learn more about your company before deciding whether or not to engage your service or purchase your product. Some of the informational websites also function as educational platforms, providing tips and information about their industry.
These websites typically include pages such as about us, products and services, and the contact us page. Transactions and other service delivery will only take place offline or after a visitor submits an enquiry.
E-Commerce Websites
E-commerce is the buying and selling of goods and services over an electronic network, and e-commerce websites, as the name suggests, are designed to make such transactions possible online. They include but are not limited to, online retail stores, services, financial management websites, and music websites. Some popular e-commerce websites include Shopee, Amazon, iTunes and Lazada.
E-commerce website development is complicated and will usually require the hiring of an e-commerce website design company in Singapore. It takes a regular website and adds extra features, such as a secured payment gateway that allows consumers to purchase products and services directly from a business.
This feature is found in almost all e-commerce websites and is beneficial for retail brands because it simplifies online shopping, allows you to capture your audience and have them make a purchase almost immediately.
Their Differences
1. Security
E-commerce and regular websites have different functionalities that require vastly different levels of security. When purchasing goods or services from e-commerce websites, customers will need to provide credit or debit card information. As a result, e-commerce website development must be done with care to protect consumers and ensure that the website is secured and information cannot be decrypted or accessed by hackers.
Regular websites, on the other hand, do not involve the exchange of information and therefore do not require guaranteed protection or a high level of security.
2. Website Functionality & Content
E-commerce websites have functions that are far more complex than those of a standard website. They can be classified as online shopping malls and will entail detailed e-commerce website development and design that is tailored to each business.
The features found on typical e-commerce websites, such as adding to cart, checking out, a payment gateway, storing customer information, and even an inventory system, all have an impact on a customer’s shopping experience. The ability to browse and purchase products seamlessly on a single website can boost your sales and help you achieve business success.
To ensure that the brand receives maximum online visibility, the content on an e-commerce website must be updated on a regular basis. Every page must be implemented with search engine optimised metadata, and every image must be tagged with an alt-text.
On the contrary, due to the few features that regular websites possess, they do not need to be maintained as frequently and will need much less development time. They are typically updated on a weekly or fortnightly basis using only a content management system.
The amount of work needed to maintain and set up an e-commerce website far exceeds the effort needed for a regular website.
E-commerce websites and regular websites are two very different types of websites that have very diverse roles on the internet. Both also require different levels of development work. In order to build an effective and functional website, one involves a lot of website design and development, while the other can be achieved with minimal effort.
Regardless of the time and effort needed to develop an e-commerce website, investing in its development can bring tremendous benefits to your business if you want to sell products and services quickly and in large quantities.
eFusion Technology is a website design company that provides e-commerce web development and web design services to businesses in Singapore. Set up an effective e-commerce website for your business today. Contact us for more information.
