When small businesses come to us for a website, the first decision is not about colours or fonts. It is about what kind of website you need and how you want to pay for it. Most fall into one of three options.

Brochure website

A brochure site tells people who you are, what you do and how to contact you. It typically has a home page, service pages, an about page and a contact page with a form.

Good for: service businesses, trades, professional firms and most B2B companies.
Pros: quickest and most affordable to build; simple to keep updated.
Watch out for: a brochure site still needs updates, backups and security, even if the content rarely changes.

E-commerce website

An online shop lets customers browse products, pay and arrange delivery or collection.

Good for: retailers and businesses selling products or bookings online.
Pros: takes orders around the clock; can connect to stock and accounting systems.
Watch out for: more to build and test (products, payments, delivery, tax, returns), per-transaction payment fees, and more security responsibility because you handle customer data. Card testing attacks are a real risk for shops, see card testing attacks on payment forms.

Website as a service

Instead of paying for the build up front, you pay a monthly fee that covers the website, hosting, updates and usually a set amount of changes.

Good for: businesses that want predictable costs and no technical worries.
Pros: low upfront cost; updates and security are someone else’s job.
Watch out for: read the contract. Check the minimum term, what you own if you leave, and whether you can take the content and domain with you.

Quick comparison

Upfront cost: brochure low to medium; shop medium to high; website as a service low.
Running costs: brochure low; shop higher (hosting, payments, plugins); website as a service a fixed monthly fee.
Who maintains it: you or your provider for brochure and shop sites; included with website as a service.

How to decide

Do you need to take payments online? If not, you probably do not need a shop.
Would you rather pay once or spread the cost?
Who in your business will keep the site updated and secure?
What happens to the site if you change provider?

For more on costs, read how much a website costs in Rochdale.

When to speak to BMT

We build all three: brochure websites, e-commerce websites and website as a service plans. If you are unsure which fits, we will talk it through before quoting. Call us on 0161 672 7461 or 01706 391 047, or get in touch online.

← Back to all articles

Brochure, Shop or Website as a Service?