Can you believe that just about 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 communication medium. Today everyone is at least aware of the Internet and the majority of you use it on a daily basis. But even more amazing is the growth in web functionality and the huge drop in the cost of that functionality. In the late 90’s it was not unusual for a company to spend tens of thousands of dollars to build an e-commerce site. Today, any business, small or large, can have an cost effective Internet catalog or e-commerce web site. A few of the benefits for a small business with a business website... Increased Market Size: Any business website presence broadens the market reach for your business. Local retailers can market/sell products across the country or the world. Reduced Information Distribution Costs: Practically every business distributes some sort of information...product sell sheets, technical specifications, catalogs, order forms, proposals, etc. A business website allows you to provide that information in real time when the customer needs it at almost no cost. 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. Even if you don't have an online catalog, having your information available allows the customer to at least look at their convenience. 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. A professional online catalog will cost you less than $150.00 per month...a value that's hard to pass up. Customers Require It: This is probably the most important benefit of having a business web site. Today with Internet usage reaching 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 and to have online ordering enabled. The Internet makes it possible to communicate with your customers on their terms within their time-table. It makes it possible to automate information dissemination and 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. There are lots of benefits to having a business website. But the most important is that an Internet web site is now a customer requirement. | 
