Benefits of a Web Presence

Just ten years ago most people had not even heard of the Internet. In just a little over a decade it has grown from a very simple way to send email to a sophisticated form of communication. Today everyone is at least aware of the Internet and the majority of people use it on a daily basis.

A few of the benefits for a small business with a business website include:

Increased Market Size: A business website presence broadens the market reach for your business from local to global.

Reduced Information Distribution Costs: Practically every business distributes some sort of information -- product sheets, technical specs, catalogs, brochures, order forms, proposals, etc. A business website allows you to provide that information to your customers in real time when they need it.

Expanded Availability to Customers: Your business website gives your customers access to your business 24/7 with very little increase in overhead or employment costs. Having your information available allows the customer to review the services you provide at their convenience.

A Step Up on Your Competition: As a business owner, the last thing you want to do is to give your prospective clients a detailed list of your competitors, including addresses and phone numbers. But that is exactly what the Yellow Pages do. Using the internet, you can differentiate yourself from everyone else, so that when your prospective clients come looking for what you do, they find you, not all your competitors.

Increased Sales: If your small business website includes an online shopping cart or e-commerce solution, you can increase your sales with little additional cost. Photo galleries, portfolios or samples of your work and the services you provide gives potential customers increased confidence in the support you can provide for them.

Customers Require It: This is probably the most important benefit of having a business web site. If you own a business today, your customers EXPECT you to have a web site. This expectation almost requires you to have some sort of interactive, dynamic web presence.

The Internet makes it possible to communicate with your customers on their terms, within their time-table. It makes it possible to automate the distribution of information and provide your customers access to 24/7 customer service. Even if you don't use the Internet to increase your market reach and revenue, the Internet has made it possible to keep your customers happy.