Getting Down to Brass Tacks: What You Need in a Website

The Caribbean region is no stranger to the internet. The most technologically advanced islands in the area can boast internet penetration rates that average in the high 70th percentile of households. Businesses in the Caribbean would do well to set up websites that allow them access to all those customers from around the region. But what does a company need to succeed when it comes to building a website? 🙋

Each business website category has a different structure and function to reach its own goals. Some key points to consider:

eCommerce and Retail: A retail site typically has a landing page, a store or shop page, and categories of products. It would be best to have a search function incorporated into your website design to make life easier for your visitors.

Service-based: Service businesses should have their contact information visible on each page and have dedicated contact and schedule pages. The schedule page will give clients a calendar to see when you’re available and allow them to book appointments directly from the website.

Publishing/Blogging: These sites can have several layouts, but it’s best practice to have a page that displays your news and most recent posts. You should also ensure that navigation from one post to another or back to the landing page is seamless.

Single-Product Specific: Some businesses only promote a handful of products, and a single product page would be the best way to share information about the product and get potential buyers to close the sale. These websites should be streamlined without too many links. 


Your website needs a goal to aim for. You’re playing yourself if you have a website that doesn’t have a goal. But what’s the ideal goal for each of these categories? In future articles in this series, we’ll give an overview of the kinds of goals business sites should aim for and how to achieve them.