10 websites worth investing in: a guide to choosing well

A website is not just another communication expense: chosen well, it is a tool that works for your business every day. It attracts customers through search engines, answers questions in place of your team, takes orders or appointments, and gathers information you can use afterwards.

You still need to invest in the right kind of website. An association, a distributor, a clinic and a school do not have the same needs. Here are the families of websites worth the investment, each with its audience, its value and its must-have features.

01The brochure website

It is the starting point for most companies, institutions and independent professionals. It presents the offer, reassures with references and lets you be found when a customer searches for your trade. Codex, for example, designed the ONDEFOC institutional website, which presents its offer, makes information easier to find and displays properly on every screen.

• clear pages for each service or audience;
• a contact form and visible contact details;
• careful SEO and flawless display on mobile.

02The online shop

For brands and merchants who want to sell beyond their area or their opening hours. It generates direct, measurable revenue and builds a customer base you can keep. The guide to investing in an e-commerce website or application details the choices to make.

• a catalogue with search and filters;
• a cart, a short checkout and order tracking;
• payment suited to the country: in Algeria, CIB and Edahabia or cash on delivery.

03The booking website

For travel agencies, hotels, clinics, salons or training centres. Every booking taken online is one call fewer and one slot filled, including outside opening hours. The guide on travel booking applications details this kind of journey.

• an up-to-date availability calendar;
• automatic confirmations and reminders;
• a booking management space for your team.

04The client portal

For service companies that regularly exchange documents, invoices or requests with their clients. The portal saves time on both sides and gives a professional image. Built well, it can even become a product in its own right, as shown by the SaaS ideas that often start from an internal need.

• secure access for each client;
• tracking of requests, documents and invoices;
• a notification for each new item.

05The product catalogue

For manufacturers, importers and distributors who sell mainly to businesses. An online catalogue replaces files and brochures, stays up to date and can take orders from resellers. Codex designed for Valuetherm a distribution app with a product catalogue, promotions and mobile ordering for customers and resellers.

• complete, downloadable technical sheets;
• prices or terms by type of customer;
• a quote request or an order straight from the catalogue.

06The campaign landing page

For a specific offer, a launch or an event. A single page, focused on one message and one action, converts far better than a general home page, and shows exactly what a campaign brings in. The Codex digital marketing and SEO service supports this kind of set-up.

• a clear message and a single call to action;
• a short form;
• conversion tracking by traffic source.

07The member area

For schools, training centres, associations or gyms. It reserves content and services for members, and opens the way to subscriptions. The guide on e-learning platforms shows an advanced version.

• simple sign-up and login;
• content reserved by profile or subscription;
• management of members and payments in the back office.

08The directory

For federations, professional chambers, local authorities or entrepreneurs who want to list the players in a sector. A well-maintained directory attracts steady traffic from search engines and can fund itself through featured listings.

• search by category, city or keyword;
• listings that each player can update;
• moderation of sign-ups.

09The quote request website

For trades where every job is different: construction, industry, events, business services. The website qualifies the request before the first call, which saves the sales team time and filters serious contacts.

• a guided form, step by step;
• upload of photos or documents;
• requests received in a tracking board.

10The simple marketplace

For those who want to bring several sellers or providers together on one platform and earn a commission. It is the most ambitious kind of website on this list, and it is better to start with a niche. The guide to creating a multi-vendor marketplace details the steps.

• seller sign-up and approval;
• a cart that splits by seller;
• commission calculation and a back office for the operator.

11How to choose the right website

Start from the goal, not the template: being found, selling, taking bookings, building loyalty or saving your team time. One main goal per website gives clearer pages and results that are easier to measure. Then check that you can keep the website alive: update the catalogue, answer requests, publish content.

Some kinds combine well, such as a brochure website with a quote request, or a shop with a member area. The budget depends mostly on features and integrations; the article on the price of a website in Algeria explains these differences.

12The steps with Codex

1. 01
   Discovery. A workshop to set the goal of the website, its audience and its features. You leave with a clear scope, a schedule and a detailed quote.
2. 02
   Design. Site structure, mock-ups of the key pages and technical architecture. You approve every screen before development.
3. 03
   Development. Short sprints with a demo at each step, SEO built in from the start and tests on every screen size.
4. 04
   Launch and support. Go-live on a domain and accounts in your name, training for your team, then maintenance and new features.

The Codex website development service covers all these kinds of websites. Read next: SEO in Algeria and how to write a project brief.

13Building it with Codex

Codex is a software studio founded in Algiers in 2014. More than 15 engineers and designers build products in French, Arabic and English, and the team has built more than 20 products in-house. The source code, the accounts and the data stay in your name. See the published projects and the certificates of completion.

No office is added locally. The work starts from Algiers (Cité 440 Logements, Ain Malha, Djasr Kasentina), Doha (Building No. 157, Street No. 301, Zone 69, PO Box 8388) and Marseille (Rue de la République, 13002).