Types of websites: guide + table of uses and budgets

The right website depends on one question: what should the visitor do when they arrive? Call, book, buy or compare. This guide ranks the 8 most common types of websites, from the simplest to the most complete, with their use, their lead time and their budget level.

Quick picks

Be found and get calls: a brochure site of 5 to 10 pages.
Clients in French- and German-speaking Switzerland: a multilingual site.
Your business runs on appointments: a site with online booking.
You sell products: an online shop.
One offer or one campaign: a landing page.
Be online fast, with little content: a one-page site.

Table: from the simplest to the most complete

Type	Pages	Budget	Typical lead time	Best for
One-page site	1	●	a few days	freelancers, launch
Landing page	1	●●	1 to 2 weeks	campaign, single offer
Brochure site	5 to 10	●●	2 to 4 weeks	trades, fiduciaries, practices
Multilingual site	10 to 30	●●●	4 to 6 weeks	bilingual companies, export
Site with booking	5 to 15	●●●	3 to 6 weeks	health, restaurants, beauty
Catalogue site	20 and more	●●●	4 to 8 weeks	manufacturers, wholesalers
Online shop	10 and more	●●●●	6 to 12 weeks	selling products
Portal or client area	variable	●●●●●	2 months and more	documents, case follow-up

The budget goes up mainly with three things: the number of pages, the number of languages and the features (booking, payment, client account).

The 8 types of websites

1. One-page site

Best for: a freelancer who is starting, a company waiting for its real site.
Strength: online very fast, low cost.
Limit: little chance to appear on Google for several services.

2. Landing page

Best for: Google or LinkedIn ads, the launch of an offer.
Strength: one single action, so more enquiries.
Limit: does not replace a complete site.

3. Brochure site

Best for: trades, notaries, fiduciaries, practices.
Strength: one page per service, so one page per Google search.
Limit: you must keep it up to date (opening hours, team, services).
Key pages: home, one page per service, about, contact.

4. Multilingual site

Best for: companies with clients in French, German or English.
Strength: each language has its own pages and its own search ranking.
Limit: every text must be translated, not only the menu. See multilingual website.

5. Site with online booking

Best for: medical practices, salons, restaurants, coaches.
Strength: the client books at 10 pm without calling you.
Limit: the calendar must stay in sync. See our guide to online booking calendars.

6. Catalogue site

Best for: manufacturers and wholesalers with many products, without online sales.
Strength: product pages that Google can find, a quote request per product.
Limit: needs a clear structure from the start.

7. Online shop

Best for: selling physical or digital products.
Strength: you sell 24 hours a day.
Limit: payment, delivery, returns and terms of sale to manage. See our guide to creating an online shop.

8. Portal or client area

Best for: fiduciaries, property managers, insurers, services with documents.
Strength: the client finds their documents alone.
Limit: a longer project, data security to plan.

Which tool: Wix, Squarespace, WordPress or custom?

Tool	Ease of use	Design freedom	Maintenance	Best for
Wix	easy	medium	low (handled by Wix)	simple brochure site
Squarespace	easy	medium, polished design	low	creatives, portfolio
WordPress	medium	high	high (updates, plugins)	blog, catalogue, multilingual
Custom	changes by the provider	total	low if the site is static	speed, brand image

The right tool is the one you will keep up to date. A WordPress site without updates becomes a security hole.

Tips before you launch

Write the first sentence before the design: who you are, for whom, where.
One page, one action: call, book or request a quote.
Domain in the company’s name, never in the provider’s name. See our guide to the domain name.
Test on a phone first: most local searches start there.
Data protection: a privacy policy that complies with the nFADP, a cookie banner if you use trackers.
Google Business Profile: it often brings more calls than the site itself.
Visibility in AI assistants: do ChatGPT and Claude mention your company? Test it here.

FAQ

How much does a website cost in Switzerland?

The price depends on the number of pages, the languages and the features. The table gives the relative order of magnitude. For an exact figure for your project, request a quote.

Build the site yourself or hire a professional?

A one-page site on Wix or Squarespace can be done alone. As soon as you need several languages, good search ranking or bookings, a professional saves time and wins clients.

How long does it take?

From a few days for one page to several months for a portal. The lead time depends mainly on how fast the texts and photos arrive.

Free test

your current site tested in 2 minutes (security, speed on a phone, readability for Google and AI).

Run the test

Website creation · Study: 10,000 Swiss company websites