Websites for Communication

A website is a public communication platform that lets an organisation share information with anyone who visits it. The organisation chooses what appears on its pages, and visitors do not need an invitation to read them.

Websites usually give customers the details they need before they buy, such as:

• Product or service information — what each item is, its size, colour or features, and what a service includes.
• Prices — how much each item costs, including delivery charges where these apply.
• Stock information — whether an item is in stock, low in stock or sold out, so customers know what they can order today.
• Special offers — discounts, bundle deals or limited-time promotions that the organisation wants everyone to see.

Many websites also let customers buy online, adding items to a basket and paying at a checkout. This turns the website from a page of information into a place to shop, which is useful because a customer can move straight from reading about a product to ordering it.

Because a website is public, it suits information the organisation is happy for anyone to see. That does not mean it is only for advertising. The same public pages are used for practical details like prices and stock, and for selling, so the website can inform customers and take orders at the same time.

For example, a small plant nursery might use its website to list the bedding plants it sells, the price per tray, which varieties are in stock this week, a "20% off spring bedding" offer, and a checkout for ordering a collection slot. A customer can check the stock and price before travelling, and the nursery only has to publish what it wants everyone to know.