A brochure style website displays information attractively and informatively to your customers - it is a tailored, online version of your company brochure and can include details of your business, services, products, team, testimonials, company history and contact information. It can also include a price list.

This is an attractive and traditional way of presenting your business to online customers and letting them know why they should choose your company over competitors. Designed correctly, the brochure website will encourage visitors to make contact directly by phone or email.

Product information can be displayed in a number of attractive ways, via a gallery or show reel and can be designed to complement your business branding or corporate identity.

Companies which are expanding and need to update product and service information on a regular basis can also choose to integrate a content management system, which enables you to keep complete control over the website's information. Vertical Index offers training for the systems we design, though it should be noted they are also user friendly and easy to operate.

Lastly, Vertical Index will design your brochure style website in a way which enables the major search engines to index it properly, helping your customers to find you.

There are many reasons for having an e-commerce website: to widen the net and catch all the potential customers possible; to make the most of the borderless enterprise opportunities available by internet trading; to expand beyond the boundaries of a physical shop premises; to give life and success to a venture that could only ever work on the internet.

These are just a few reasons. Others include cost effective trading, space saving, flexibility, entrepreneurship, business growth, work-life balance and innovation. The list is practically endless.

One fact is important, however: opening up your products and services to a national or global market increases the number of customers and boosts profits.

Vertical Index designs and builds practical and secure e-commerce solutions which enable customers to search, browse, choose and purchase directly from you.Our e-commerce solutions include the customer-facing shopping cart, which allows the choosing and amending of products; a simple checkout process for payments; and a business-facing stock/delivery system - all of which we will ensure you and your staff know how to manage and maintain.

Because we want to support you as much as possible, Vertical Index also provides advice and training on the practical side of running an e-business. This is a growing sector, with consumer spending on the internet rising consistently every quarter, so we know that you need information on the most up to date protocols and processes so you can stay ahead of the game from the start.

Vertical Index likes their clients to have as much control over their content as possible. We know there is nothing more frustrating than wanting to update information - copywriting, photographs, contact details or even announce an end of season sale or voucher promotion - and having to wait for your contracted service company to action it.

After thorough consultations with our clients, we create content management systems which allow website owners to take control over their content. They are secure, simple to use and enable websites to remain up to date, dynamic and interactive with the minimum of fuss.

Vertical Index even provides training for these systems, so your staff can envisage the full potential of your website and make it work in the best ways through regular updating and maintenance of information.

Using a password, staff gain access to the content management system, which allows them to add, remove or edit. Permissions can be given to allow only some pages to be accessible, ensuring protection for content that should not be amended.Other examples of how content management systems can enliven a website include events, news, blog posts and other interactive features that will engage your customers.

It is also useful for producing a list of products and services that can be updated, without having the need for a fully integrated e-commerce facility - so it is a practical add-on for simple brochure style websites in particular.

The portal style of website has a more specific purpose and is suitable for businesses offering particular online services, including the presenting of information from a range of different sources across the internet, to hotel bookings.

A portal website makes information easily accessible in its simplest form, and usually involves a search facility and listings, and occasionally bringing in lighter features such as news, tips, forums and a guest book.

In the case of a portal for hotel bookings, for example, a portal may be used for secure customer access, enabling them to create an account, log on, access their account details, amend them, book a room in real time, pay for it and receive a receipt.

This style of website can also be used in to facilitate downloadable product manuals or even job application forms - the list is endless. This type of feature can also be integrated very successfully with a brochure style website and e-commerce system.

To learn more about how a portal style website could revolutionise the way your company does business on the internet, call us for an expert consultation and advice on the best tailored solutions.