This is a question that web designers often need to ask.

It is very important to know what you want to use your website for, before it is designed.

• Do you just need to display information of your company?
• Do you want to promote a certain service you are providing?
• Do you want to list your products?
• Do you want to sell products online?
• Do you want to talk about a specific subject or a group of subjects?

It is very important to know this, because there are aspects to keep in mind when designing each of these types of websites.

An informational website for your company could to have a corporate, straight forwards look. Sometimes this is even true for companies that deal with children, pets, and other playful subjects.
Websites for promoting services or listing products can have different looks. Promoting electronic services will probably have a different look than promoting childcare services. A hospitality product manufacturer would display his products differently than a machinery factory.

Knowing what the purpose will be also helps to prepare for targeting your audience. An informational site is more for others who need to find organizational information about your company or yourself. An e-commerce website, where goods and services are sold, needs a more wide spread advertising campaign, because the more people know of your online shop, the more you can sell.

Conclusion
Be sure you know what the purpose of your website is. This will not only help the designer create something that suits the purpose, but will make it easier to promote.

This is also one of the reasons why web designers can’t answer the question “What does a website cost?” with a straight answer.