What a corporate website is (and what it really should have)

When someone hears about your company, the first thing they do is look you up on Google. What they find there largely decides whether they take you seriously or move on to the next option. That first impression is your corporate website, and that's why it's worth understanding exactly what it is and what it needs to include.

What a corporate website is

A corporate website is a company's or professional's official site: the place that represents it online and where it explains who's behind it, what it offers, how it works and how to get in touch. It isn't trying to sell a specific product right that instant, the way an online store would, but to give a complete, trustworthy picture of the business.

Put another way: if your company were a person, the corporate website would be how it introduces itself. It tells the story, shows the work, puts a face to it and makes clear how to take the next step. It doesn't matter whether you're a sole trader, a clinic or a company of thirty people: if you have an activity and you want to be found, you need one.

Corporate website vs institutional website: are they the same?

They're used almost interchangeably, but there's a useful nuance. A corporate website belongs to a company that offers products or services and that, in the end, wants clients. Its goal is to build trust and get enquiries or sales.

An institutional website usually belongs to an organisation whose main purpose isn't selling: a town council, a university, a foundation, a professional body. Its priority is to inform, provide transparency and offer services to its members or citizens, rather than win clients.

In practice they're very similar in structure: both explain who you are and what you do. The difference is in the intent. A company wants you to write to them; an institution wants you to be informed and handle your business. If you run a business, yours is a corporate website, even if the word sounds like a suit and tie.

What it's for (beyond «having a presence»)

Many people put up a site «because you have to have one». It's a shame, because when it's well thought out it does concrete things for your business:

• It gives credibility. A well-kept site says there's a real, serious business behind it. A neglected or non-existent site raises the opposite doubt.
• It works when you're not there. It answers the usual questions (what you do, where you are, how much it costs, how to get in touch) at any hour, without you having to be present.
• It makes you findable. It's your base on Google: when someone searches for what you offer, the site is what can show up.
• It turns visits into enquiries. A good form, a WhatsApp button or a clearly placed phone number turn the curious visitor into a conversation.
• It's yours. Unlike a profile on a social network, which depends on someone else's rules, the site is your own ground. Nobody moves it or shuts it down on you.

What a company's website should have

You don't need a huge site. You need it to have what the visitor needs in order to trust you and take the step. This is the minimum a corporate website that works should include:

• A home page that's clear in five seconds. That on arriving it's obvious what you do, for whom and where. If people have to guess, most leave.
• Services or products well explained. What you offer, what it involves and what problem it solves, in the client's language, not internal brochure-speak.
• An «about us» page with a face. Who's behind it, with a real photo and an honest story. People trust people, not logos.
• Proof that you do your job well. Real client reviews, cases, past work, logos of who you've helped. Trust is shown, not claimed.
• Clear, easy ways to get in touch. Phone, email, WhatsApp, form, address if you receive visits. The easier it is to write to you, the more people will.
• That it looks good on mobile. Today most visits come from a phone. If it looks bad on mobile, it doesn't matter how pretty it is on a computer.
• Speed. A slow site loses visitors before they even get to read you. Speed isn't a technical luxury, it's part of the first impression.
• The legal pages. Legal notice, privacy policy and cookies. They're required and, on top of that, they convey seriousness.

If you'd like to see how we build this kind of site, you'll find it on website for businesses and in our approach to web design.

What a corporate website shouldn't be

It also helps to know what to avoid. A corporate website isn't an endless catalogue nobody reads, nor a work of art that takes ten seconds to load, nor text written to impress your competitors instead of your clients. Nor is it something you set up once and forget: a site with old prices, a phone number that's no longer yours or a design from ten years ago subtracts trust rather than adding it.

The acid test is simple: show your site to someone who doesn't know your business and ask them what you do, who you help and how to contact you. If they answer in half a minute, you're on the right track. If they hesitate, there's work to do.

How much does it cost and how long does it take?

It depends on what you need. A simple, well-made corporate website is very affordable for any business; from there, the price goes up depending on the number of pages, whether you need languages, a store, bookings or custom features. The point isn't to look for the cheapest, but the one that pays you back what it costs in the form of clients and time saved. You've got our plans and starting points in plans.

In short: a corporate website is your company's introduction on the internet and, like any introduction, it either plays in your favour or against you. Making it play in your favour is, in the end, your decision.