Top 10 Reasons Every Business Should Have a Website

These days a website is absolutely necessary in the business world.  Why do some businesses put off creating or improving their websites?

• It's not a priority at the moment. 
• We don't have a budget for that. 
• Our customers don't use the internet. 
• Our website is only used for reference - we don't sell anything.

• More and more people are using the internet everyday.
  Statistics show that over 75 percent of Americans currently use the Internet and on average spend approximately 3 hours a day online.  If you don't have a website for your business - you are not reaching all of your potential customers.
• Most people expect a business to have a website.
  Increasingly more and more people find the internet the most convenient way to look for a company's telephone number, email address or information about their products or services.  A search engine such as Yahoo or Google can be used to find a company by location or by products or services offered.
• The internet is the most powerful way to present the best image of a company.
  A website can give the best possible and most complete image of a company to a potential customer.  Many people interested in your products or services will be looking at your website as part of a credibility check.  If your website does not exist or gives a poor impression - that customer will quickly move on to your competition.
• You can communicate effectively with your customers even when you're not open.
  Potential or current customers can access your website 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
• Without a website you leave the door open to your competitors who do have one.
  If your company doesn't have a website or it is poorly designed, your competition may be the only one that a potential client can turn to and that usually means your competition gets their business.
• The internet does a great job of leveling the playing field for small businesses.
  A small business with limited funds can produce a highly effective website that can be very visible on the web and can easily compete with larger companies.
• A website is by far the most cost effective way of advertising.
  The cost of creating and maintaining a website can cost much less than other forms of advertising and has the potential to reach an unlimited amount of customers.
• A potential customer may prefer to anonymous.
  A most interesting phenomenon is that the Internet has put the potential customer in the driver's seat.  If a potential customer invites a salesman in, this shows some interest in the company's products or services and may lead to repeated calls or visits.  Checking out a website is convenient and anonymous.
• A website can be changed easily and often.
  A brochure or business card might be looked at once or twice and then thrown away or filed and can become outdated fairly quickly while a website is always accessible and can be easily kept up-to-date and current.
• It takes time for a website to get established online.
  It takes a couple of months for the search engines and directories to pick up a website and add it to their searches.  The sooner you get your website up and running - the sooner it gets established online.