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A Web Site: To Have or Have Not By: Tim Minnick
http://www.intertecweb.com
Maybe you own an established business, or maybe you own a "new"
business, or are thinking of buying a business, or starting a
business for yourself. If you are any of these people, this
question may or may not have crossed your mind, "Do I need a web
site for my business?".
This article seeks to help you make that decision, notice I
didn't say, this article seeks to answer that question for you.
If you own a business or are thinking of buying or starting a
business, you're an intelligent individual, perfectly capable of
making that decision for yourself. I'll just present you with
some information, objections and opinion and let you draw your
own conclusion.
First, let's look at a couple of the most common reasons
business owners think they may not need a web site, these are
real objections from business owners with whom I have spoken
concerning a web site for their business. For your business'
sake… I certainly hope not, but maybe you think the same thing:
1.We don't have a computer and don't have Internet access at my
business, so we don't need a web site. Please don't take
offense, but a web site isn't for you to sit in your office and
look at, thinking, "my, isn't that pretty". A web site is for
your customers or potential customers to learn about you, your
business and what products and/or services you provide. It's an
opportunity for you to inform your customers, bring in new
customers and most importantly an opportunity for you to
increase your business' bottom line. After all, isn't your
business bottom line what makes you money?
2.We've been in business for 30 years and have never advertised.
We've always depended on "word of mouth". My hat is off to you,
if you can say this… and I only hope your good fortune
continues. But let's face facts. We live in a rapidly changing
world. Due to an ever growing increase in population, a
population that moves from one end of the country to the other,
at any given time, for a multitude of reasons. While word of
mouth has always been, and I'm sure will always be the best form
of advertising, how about the families that just moved into your
neighborhood and haven't made any friends yet, but they have
Internet access. They don't have the resource that people that
have lived there for 30 years do. Isn't that a missed
opportunity?
You've read the objections and opinion. Here's the information:
According to the US Department of Commerce, Internet traffic
doubles every 100 days. In the year 2000, there were
approximately 102 million Internet users in the US alone. Today,
70% of America is on the Internet. In 1994 the entire Internet
economy was $5 Billion, in 1998 that same figure was $301
Billion, and Forrester Research predicted that that figure would
be $3.1 Trillion by 2003. Well 2003 is almost over, and the
latest statistics available at the time of writing show this to
be a reasonable expectation. 65% of people in America that are
on the Internet make their buying decisions online… there are
more people that access the Internet when they're looking to buy
products and services than there are that pick up the yellow
pages.
Now, I ask you, does your business need a web site?
There are many qualified web designers that are quite capable of
developing a cost effective, aesthetically appealing and
functional web site for your business. You can find them on the
web or in the phone book. Good luck with your business!
About the author:
Tim Minnick is the Director of Intertec Web Solutions. He has
been developing Aesthetically appealing, functional web sites
for businesses ranging from Banks to Trucking Companies for
nearly 6 years. He thrives on the challenge of developing an
exciting and interesting web site.
