15 Powerful Reasons To Start A Web
Site
It's
easy to build a Web site. Anyone can do it for little
or no money. What is not easy is building a successful
business with it. So how do you do it? Start by asking
yourself: "Why do I need a web site? What will
it accomplish for my business?"
The biggest mistake you can make is to build a Web
site that doesn't do anything for you. This may seem
obvious, but too many companies build Web sites simply
because they believe it would be neat, or because
their competitors have one. Without a real purpose,
a Web site is just a complete waste of time.
By
the way, there is always a good purpose for starting
a web site - you just have to discover it. Just look
at all the great things that will happen to you when
you start your own web site:
-
Your business will be open
24 hours a day. This
means you won't have to stay open on Thanksgiving
or Christmas day. If you live on the East Coast, people
from California will still be able to shop in your
store after you close. Any time someone wants to know
your hours, location, directions, or any other details
about your company, they can get it without disturbing
you.
-
Low staffing costs.
When you have a web site, you can offer your products
and services without hiring any extra employees. You
won't have to spend any resources on compensating
or insuring your new staff members and still be able
to maintain the same level of sales and customer service.
-
Gain
thousands new customers.
Because anyone in the world can see your web
site, you will gain customers from other states and
countries while you are putting in the same amount
of effort and money.
-
Create an image of a well
established company. The Internet is a
great medium through which you can create any image
of yourself you want. It is all in your hands: design
a professional web site, add helpful content, and
your company will immediately take a step up in the
image it represents. No matter how small your business
is, with the right tools and a great desire you can
make it look like a corporation on the Web!
-
Save on postage and printing
costs.
Think of how many cards you mail out to let customers
know about your sale. All of that can be eliminated
by putting the sale information on your web site and
inviting your customers to visit it. You can collect
your customers' E-Mail addresses and keep in touch
with them about special events in your store via E-Mail.
-
Unlimited advertisement.
If you ever advertised in a local newspaper, you know
the costs. You are being charged per line, per inch,
and per color. On the Web, there is no limit to how
much you can put. You can add pictures, articles,
newsletters, rates, product images and so much more!
With just one web site, you can have almost unlimited
advertisement for the same low monthly cost (under
$25 a month!)
-
Improve communications. If
you have employees or suppliers, your web site is
the best way to communicate between you and them.
Changes take effect as soon as you post them on the
Web, and everyone can see updated information without
having to wait for a new database of products, and
without contacting you directly.
-
Impeccable
customer service. This is a dream
of any entrepreneur: "buy my product and leave
me alone". By this I mean that business owners
do not like to spend time explaining to customers
how to use the product, how to install it, troubleshoot
it, clean it, move it, turn it, and whatever else
can be done to a purchased item.
-
A web
site will become your best friend in meeting the needs
of your customers. It will answer
all their questions. Simply create a page of "Frequently
Asked Questions" and include its address on every
receipt. This way, before they come to you for help,
they will come to your web site for answers.
-
Online
presence - in step with your competitors. You
must think of the Internet as a gigantic the Yellow
Pages book. More and more people use the Web to shop
for information, services and products. If you are
not there - your competitors are! Can you imagine
not being in Yellow Pages and try to reach local market?
Unless you spend a lot of money on newspaper ads and
other local promotions - no one will know your business
exists. The same thing with the Internet. If people
can't find your company on the Web, you might as well
not exist.
-
Provide an alternate purchasing
method. Many people do not like
to shop in the stores, malls and any other noisy places
(I am first!). They are afraid of long walks, pressure
from sales people, sneezing customers and bumping
shopping carts. Once they discover online shopping
- they will never go back to the stores unless absolutely
necessary. By putting your products online, you satisfy
the needs of such customers and therefore succeed
in one more niche.
-
Showcase your work.
Whether you are a real estate agent, construction
business owner or a beauty salon specialist - you
can put your work on display when you have a web site.
Anytime a potential client wants to see your past
work and projects, simply refer him or her to your
site. No need to scan and mail pictures, or bring
your client to a finished building project.
-
Promotional Costs are very low.
When I interviewed the manager of NY State
Nissan dealership, he shared with me the costs of
running an online ad compared to a newspaper or any
other printed advertisement. He said, "We can
run a whole month of advertisements online for the
same amount of money we pay for one newspaper ad!"
That's right, on an online promotion you can spend
$97 a month, while paying 10 times that much for a
one-time large ad in a magazine!
-
Beat
your competition to the top.
Competition online is huge today! There are
over 3,000,000 sites on the Web and this number is
growing. Still, I see at least 5 businesses a month
who are not online and getting a web site is not in
their near future plans. Why am I telling you this?
Because if THEY don't get a web site - YOU have a
better chance at succeeding. Insurance, home improvement,
gift shops and other companies are among those I see
dragging their feet in putting their businesses online.
This means if you do it now, before EVERY company
is online, you will be among the pioneers!
Yep,
that's right - Internet is still in its babyhood,
no matter how many web sites there are out there.
It has been less than a decade since companies decided
to use web sites as part of their marketing strategies.
Can you imagine what it will be like in 20-30 years??
I
could go on and on, but I hope you are convinced:
YOUR BUSINESS ABSOLUTELY NEEDS A WEB SITE! Click
here to request a Quote TODAY!
Even
if you are not planning to sell directly online, people
will find your web site and contact you about the
services you offer. You can place your web site address
in your newspaper ads and any other promotional materials
to make people aware of your web site.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Milana
Nastetskaya, (author of this article) is a full-time
web developer and the author of 3 books: "Create
Your First Business Web Site in 10 days!", "65
Instant Web Answers!", "How To Install and
Troubleshoot CGI scripts"
>>
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