Why Do I Need a Web site?

Some might say the number one worst reason would be “because everyone else is…”

Unfortunately in business if you’re marketing a product or service and do NOT advertise wherever the competition and the customers are, you’ll find yourself falling behind very quickly.

Only a couple years have past since your customers were looking for a product or a service and their easiest solution was to get out the local Yellow Pages and look for a store or company in their area that provided what they were looking for.  They would also find an address and a phone number and sometimes a list of other products or services.

Now, thanks to the World Wide Web, that same customer can go to a search engine or index and be presented with a list of businesses that suits their needs accompanied by a link to their web page. Those web pages are loaded with product pictures, price lists, maps, and phone numbers.  To further entice that same customer, some may even offer an online Shopping Cart system, which allows the customer to order products and services without ever having to leave the comfort of their home or office.

Perhaps you have a service oriented practice such as accounting, law, or medicine that is already doing well and you're wondering why you should burden yourself with the added expense of a Web site. Simply put, not having a web site will soon be like not having a listing in your local Yellow Pages. In today’s business environment, it is essential that you establish a corporate presence on the Internet. Even if your best business comes by word-of-mouth, your potential customers may want to check you out or be impressed to hear you have a site. A well designed, professional web site can give you added visibility and credibility, especially if you provide a public service and your goal is to get information to a large number of people almost instantaneously. The cost of maintaining a Web site is probably the most effective advertising you'll ever do. Purchasing your domain name, having your site professionally designing your site and hosting it for a year can be obtained for as little as $400.

The Internet is one of the first places a person who has access to a computer will go to get information. As one source put it, "the Internet 'IS' information." Whether it's information on a health issue, parenting or a specific product or service, the World Wide Web is *the* place your customers look to for information.

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