Every journey has a beginning. Regarding your journey from content entrepreneur to branded authority, your website is the beginning. It should be the hub of your online marketing plan. If you do it right, it will be. The following seven types of websites are each a different kind of authority document. Follow these tips to make your next website a branded authority site that points to  your expertise:

E-commerce Store

We all know what an online store is now, thanks to Amazon. The online retail giant is one of the largest companies in the world, and it achieved that status by becoming an authority in several ways. First, Amazon is an authority on customer buying habits. They know what customers want, and the company can provide products that customers are willing to buy without touching. Secondly, Amazon is an authority on delivering a valuable buying experience through technology. And thirdly, Amazon is an authority on Web marketing. Their self-promotional algorithms are some of the best in the world. Any e-commerce store can become an authority. First, you should establish your authority with your niche clientele. Whether it be clothing, toys, or other merchandise, define your target audience and become an authority on what they desire. The rest is delivery.

Blog

Blogging needs no introduction. For businesses, blogs are typically thought of as add-ons. That is, you build a website then add a blog to it for your content marketing efforts. There’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, a business blog can showcase your company’s expertise and build authority while you generate leads. However, you can also build a business around a blog, in which case the blogger is simultaneously building authority as she builds her business brand image. Professional blogger Darren Rowse has built a business around teaching other bloggers how to blog at ProBlogger.

Information Website

Information websites are focused on a single niche and provide as much information about the subject matter as possible, often making deep dives into very narrow subject areas within the main topic. Information websites typically earn their revenues through advertising or subscription-based models. GigaOm is a popular information website the focuses on emerging technologies. Alexa, owned by Amazon, provides data collection, competitive intelligence, and analysis for web marketers. 

Publication

In recent years, niche online publications have proliferated. The key to success in building authority through an online publication is to focus narrowly on one niche where you can attract a loyal following of readers interested in your publishing focus. Lending Times is one such publication that curates news and featured content on alternative lending. Blockchain Times, a sister publication, does the same for the cryptocurrency and blockchain audiences. A different publication, Inside CFO, delivers its curated news for chief financial officers through email.

Directory

Directories are a resource for people interested in a specific topic. There are a variety of different types of directories, but they all help people find what they are looking for on a specific topic. A business directory, for instance, can help customers find a business to deliver the service or product they are looking for in a specific geographic location. Crunchbase is a directory of technology businesses and investors in such businesses that helps investors find suitable companies to invest in and the companies find investors to back them. It is also valuable for journalists, who use it to report on funding rounds, the businesses being funded, and investors funding them. Crunchbase is an authority on technology company startup funding.

Service Website

A service website is one of the simplest types of websites to build. It’s a website through which a company sells a service. Taylored Content is one such type of website. By blogging about content marketing and the various forms of it, developments in inbound marketing, and more, specifically regarding technology companies, Taylored Content has built its own authority by publishing information about authority marketing.

Portfolio Website

A portfolio website is a great way to showcase your talent if you are an artist, photographer, writer, website designer, or other creative. The portfolio itself helps the creative entrepreneur present his authority in a format that showcases his talent, as well.

Now that you have a handle on different types of websites, which one do you think would be better suited to your business goals?