Sooner or later, someone's going to type your business into a search engine e.g. Google or Yahoo. What do you want them to find? Nothing, or worse yet, your competition. These are people who want to find you and do business with you. They are looking for what you are selling, and if you don't have a website then you're letting them down - they expect to find you online. For many people, you might as well not exist if you can't be found with a search engine. Not having a website is like not bothering to get listed in the phone book. Can you run your business without a phone?
If you are in direct competition with another business that has a website, they have a clear advantage - especially if they are adequately marketing their website. Search engines like Google or Yahoo will pick their websites and enhance their competitive advantage over you. This is just a fact anyway!
Worldwide Internet usage is one billion. On the web, it doesn't matter whether someone is next door to you or on the other side of the world, they can see your website just the same as anyone else can, and it doesn't cost you or them any extra. Phone and mailings both cost enormous amounts long-distance, but your website lets you send information anywhere without any extra effort or expense. You can make friends and contacts in places you've never been and will never go!
More than ever before, people are turning away from traditional means of finding information and looking online. Yellow pages, directories, and printed materials are being used less. Brochures and flyers only allow for a few lines of communication. A carefully crafted website can guide your clients, suppliers or employees through page after page of information. Another advantage is that you can add audio and video to these pages - something that paper communication tools cannot offer.
More than ever before, people are turning away from traditional means of finding information and looking online. Yellow pages, directories, and printed materials are being used less. Brochures and flyers only allow for a few lines of communication. A carefully crafted website can guide your clients, suppliers or employees through page after page of information. Another advantage is that you can add audio and video to these pages - something that paper communication tools cannot offer.
When you compare the price of a website to the expense of creating and distributing more traditional forms of marketing materials, like newspapers, direct mail campaigns and magazine ads- the cost of setting up and maintaining a website is nominal. One of the best features of a website is that you can quickly and easily change information as it changes within your business. Unlike printed materials that need to be revised and then reprinted at cost; a Website allows you to change or add products and services as often as you wish in just a few steps. There is potential for free advertising when other Websites and blogs link to you.