Developing Communities and Portals
There are two main types of portal web site. Horizontal portals service a range of users and industrial sectors and vertical portals deal with a specific industry or topic of interest.
An example of a horizontal portal is a search engine web site such as Google which has a broad target audience and whose services are appropriate for a wide range of companies and users.
A vertical portal provides users with information and features specific to the needs of a particular industry, this type of portal would also provide directory listings and profiles of different mmeber firms.
Companies that want to create portal sites must have a clear and targeted business and marketing plan in order to attract the volume of traffic that would justify the various revenue streams that the site owner would need in order to attain significant profits.
Traffic building measures become particularly important, if the portal site is targeted at consumers and requires the participation of a large vertical market.
Typical Client Profile
Community or Tourism Groups
Professional Associations
Umbrella Groups
Specialists
Educational
