Does my business need a website?

That's a good question. In fact, it's one of the most important and most frequently asked questions of the digital business age.

So should your business have a website, even if your business is small and sells products or services you don't think can be sold online? My answer is the same all the time untill today: Yes, if you have a business, you should have a website. Period. No question. Without a doubt.

One example of a business that probably doesn't need the Web could be a takeway, fast-food portacabin sited outside a nightclub. All of cabin's trade is 'passerby' so what benefit would being on the web bring?

For small businesses in a tourist area, it is a great advantage that visitors to your area, your potential customers, know your name before they arrive.

63% of holiday makers who booked a holiday in 2002 used the Internet to get travel information and information on their destinations (source: MORI poll, 2002). That means that approximately one third of all the visitors to your area could arrive there knowing that they wish to visit your business.

They can then look for you, rather than just stumbling across you, or worse, stumbling across your competition. Make it as easy as you can for them, give them:

• your opening hours
• your contact details, especially your address
• a map to help them find you
• a clear and accurate description of your products and services
• inviting images of your location or products
• a special promotion to invite them

Then you will have provided the most effective, and yet still simple, web site you can. Your site will help customers find you, persuade them that you are the best choice for them and invite them to you.

Also, don't be so quick to dismiss your product as one that can't be sold online. Nowadays, there's very little that can't be sold over the internet. More than 20 million shoppers are now online, purchasing everything from books to computers to cars to real estate to jet airplanes to natural gas to you name it. If you can imagine it, someone will figure out how to sell it online.

Let me clarify one point: I'm not saying you should put all your efforts into selling your wares over the internet, though if your product lends itself to easy online sales, you should certainly be considering it. The point to be made here is that you should at least have a presence on the web so that customers, potential employees, business partners and perhaps even investors can quickly and easily find out more about your business and the products or services you have to offer.

It's not enough that you just have a website. You must have a professional-looking site if you want to be taken seriously. Since many consumers now search for information online prior to making a purchase at a brick-and-mortar store, your site may be the first chance you have at making a good impression on a potential buyer. If your site looks like it was designed by a barrel of colorblind monkeys, your chance at making a good first impression will be lost.

The most great things about the internet is that it has leveled the playing field when it comes to competing with the big boys. As mentioned, you have one shot at making a good first impression. With a well-designed site, your little operation can project the image and professionalism of a much larger company. The inverse is also true. I've seen many big company websites that were so badly designed and hard to navigate that they completely lacked professionalism and credibility. Good for you, too bad for them.

You also mention that yours is a small operation, but when it comes to benefiting from a website, size does not matter. I don't care if you're a one-man show or a 30,000-employee corporate giant; if you don't have a website, you're losing business to other companies that do.

The exception to my rule: It's actually better to have no website at all than to have one that makes your business look bad. Your site speaks volumes about your business. It either says, "Hey, look, we take our business so seriously that we have created this wonderful site for our customers!" or it screams, "Hey, look, I let my 10-year-old nephew design my site. Good luck finding anything!"

"Your website is an important part of your business. Make sure you treat it as such".

In todays world a web presence isn't a magic solution, it doesn't guarantee you instant fame and fortune, but it can help move things in the right direction. Get in touch with Dynamic-eDesign now and see how we can help you grow your business.

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