Iuvo, LLC 
Almost every type of organization can benefit from a web site since it is a relatively inexpensive form of advertising or a forum for information dissemination. Today, it is expected that a business has a website, much the same as a high school diploma is expected of job candidates. It is a minimum requirement for getting your foot into the door.
There are many different styles of web sites. Obviously, not all businesses need the same features in a web site. Chances are, your site won't need the same level of features that an IBM or UPS needs. Below is a discussion of some of the styles of web sites.
Free
These are the free offerings from sites that want to get your traffic. They offer a basic, usually one-page web presence under their domain name. Sometimes these come bundled with other products or services such as QuickBooks. Generally, you are given a template and can modify certain things such as fonts and colors. Sometimes you can use your own artwork. The advantage is obvious - it costs you nothing. However, it is difficult to be taken seriously as a business if you do not have your own domain name. It is also difficult to get these sites picked up by many of the search engines. If no one sees it, well ... you get what you pay for.
Cookie-Cutter
Some web designers will create a website for you based on a limited number of standard templates at a reduced cost. However, you must take care that some thought is used when accepting this type of website. For instance, you are usually offered a set number of pages and button labels. These usually consist of something like: About, Contact, Products, News. This may be just fine for your business. But be careful. If your business is not in the habit of issuing press releases or announcing internal news bits, you might not have anything to say for a "News" page. There is nothing worse than clicking on "News" and finding nothing there! Perhaps you don't have any products - you have services! Make sure the topics are applicable to your business.
Semi-Custom
This type of web site starts out with a template and then is modified (customized) to suit your particular company. This can be one of the most cost-effective methods since it does not attempt to reinvent the wheel, yet makes sure that the content is relevant for your business.
Brochure
This is a standard industry term to describe the type of web site that essentially adapts a paper-based advertising brochure for the web. This is a reasonable approach when you are just starting out with your own web site, especially if you already have an effective paper brochure. The content has already been discussed and decided upon and the artwork already exists.
Informational
A good way to drive traffic to your site is to offer people information. This is especially effective for professionals who need to demonstrate expertise in a particular field. Examples are doctors, dentists, experts in particular industries, and consultants. Remember that people viewing your site generally will not know you and they are looking at many competing sites. If they can get a sense of your competence from your web site, they will feel more comfortable about contacting you.
Dynamic
A dynamic site changes its contents based on parameters specified when the web site is viewed. The content can be driven by a database and the user makes choices regarding what he or she wants to see.
e-Commerce
This type of site has an online store of some sort or at least a list and description of products that can be found at a brick and mortar store. This is the way to go if you want to reach more customers, internationalize or broaden your market area. An e-commerce site is necessarily more complex (read more expensive) than other types of sites. It generally requires coordination among many players. For instance, if you intend to accept credit cards online, you will need a secure site, a credit card processor, a bank that accepts the funds from the credit card processor, a database (catalogue) of products, an ordering mechanism, and so on.
Online Collaboration
If you do business as a supplier to companies that utilize online collaboration, they may want your systems to interact with theirs. This can be very complex or merely a requirement for you to post your wares on an online exchange platform. This is also where you really might need the high-tech, high-cost systems consultants.