Planning: Why You Need a Web Site

In these days of the New Economy, a web site is necessary for any business. A well designed web site will provide you with a professional appearance and a poorly designed web site will probably cost you business.

I have a very small business with just three full time employees. I can't see my products or services really being sold on line so why would I need a web site ?

The public really started to discover the Internet in 1995. Since that time much has been written on its impact on society at large and business in particular. Serious concerns have been expressed by many economists about the dangers inherent for large corporations should the underestimate the impact the Internet is having, and will continue to have, on the way people do business.

There is no doubt that consensus is around the fact that all businesses can benefit from an Internet presence. Ask yourself this question, would you advertise in the newspaper if you could ? Your answer is mostly likely yes. Well then, think of the Internet as a global newspaper with much lower advertising costs.

At the very minimum a well designed web site provides you with a dynamic, economical, marketing channel. And don't be too quick to dismiss being able to sell your product or service over the Internet. Here are many products and services sold over the Internet today that no-one would have dreamed possible just 5 years ago. There is little that is not sold through a web site today.

Gross revenues for companies selling over the Internet are around $220 Billion. How big a piece of that pie would you like ?

But let's be clear, this should not be your only sales channel. If it is, unless you are an Internet dependent company like eBay or Amazon, you are probably not going to sell very much anytime soon. The Internet is littered with poorly designed web sites that receive very few visitors and sell even less. Your web site should be a component of your overall marketing strategy.

Your professionally designed web site will make it easier for you to provide information to clients, prospective clients, investors and the media. Instead of having to mail discrete pieces of information to individuals you should be able to direct them to your web site. This will greatly improve your ability to service a much larger group of people and enhance your profitability.

But, have a great looking web site isn't enough either. You need to attract people to that web site. This is done in many ways. You should have your web address prominently displayed on any printed material you distribute from business cards to corporate correspondence, in advertisements, on product brochures and manuals. If you advertise on television or radio, your web site should feature as prominently as your telephone number.

Your professionally designed web site will make it easier for you to provide information to clients, prospective clients, investors and the media. Instead of having to mail discrete pieces of information to individuals you should be able to direct them to your web site. This will greatly improve your ability to service a much larger group of people and enhance your profitability.

You can also promote your company by promoting your web site through the Internet. This is normally done by trading links, listing your site with the search engines and working at keeping your search engine ranking high — so that people will actually find your web site while searching. This is a specialized job that takes constant work so we suggest looking for a service that provides search engine optimization.

On the Internet there is no such thing as a small organization. You can be as big as you want to be. Most big companies got there by starting small and thinking big. A lot of companies that disappear started big.

I will say this though, if you can't get yourself a well designed web site, it is probably better to not have one at all. What do you think when you see or hear a poorly designed advertisement ? You probably pay very little attention to it, never mind trying to remember the company and product. The same is true of a poorly designed web site. Prospective customers just are not interested in trying to figure out you're you are trying to sell them, or how to send you an email.

You take your business seriously. Take your web site seriously, it is going to be a major contributor to, or detractor from, your business.