Q: Many people say you need a Web
site for your business, but I have a local service business. I
don't even get customers from the other side of town, so why
would I need a Web site? I don't use the Internet that much
myself, and I recently read—yes, I still read the local
newspaper—that 29 million people quit using the Internet last
year. I've also read there are millions of Web sites, and
getting listed high enough on a search engine to matter is
difficult, if not impossible. Do I really need to spend what it
takes in time and money to have a Web site?
A: While you make a number of valid
points, the fact remains you're better off having a Web site
than not having one. Think of a Web site as a business phone line
plus a listing in the phone directory...except it also provides a
means of communicating with your existing and prospective
customers, not to mention a variety of other benefits.
First, it's the way more people are finding or checking out
vendors, whether they're restaurants, contractors or any type
of service provider. The more affluent someone is, the more likely
he or she is to use the Web in this way. A common attitude is that
if you don't have a Web presence, you're not a real
business.
Content Continues Below
Chances are, your competitors have or will soon get their own
Web sites and may lure away customers who could have been yours.
And notice how many companies are putting their Web addresses in
their Yellow Pages ads. Why? Because a Web site can communicate far
more information than any ad can. Even a full-page ad in the Yellow
Pages can't display testimonial letters, color product photos,
moving images and sound—but your Web site can. And while your
competition may be able to afford a bigger Yellow Pages ad than
you, your Web site can be just as effective as theirs.
Second, think of your Web site as an electronic brochure. You
can direct people to it on your business card, on a magnetic sign
on your vehicle, in your store window and in any print, radio or TV
advertising you do. Web sites provide more up-to-date and
ex-tensive information than brochures at far less cost. And
phone-in customers can see firsthand what you're talking about
if you suggest they log on to your Web site.
Third, while you have a local service business, a Web site may
allow you to increase your earnings by selling online to existing
or new customers. Say you have a catering service and you've
whipped up recipes people rave about—you can sell an e-book
of "secret" recipes via your site.
Fourth, having a Web site means you have a place to refer
customers to for after-sale support. For example, if you have a
landscaping service and your customer forgets what you told him or
her about watering Australian pines or loses the instructions, you
can provide detailed information on your site. Take our word for
it—they'll see you as the hero and expert you are.
While 29 million people may have stopped using the Internet last
year, more than 30 million began using it. And, in future years,
many people will either return to the Web out of necessity or
become converts because it's easier and more convenient than
operating their TV remote controls. With effort, it's possible
to get listed on a search engine high enough to matter, but nothing
we've discussed requires this. You may also obtain or trade
links with national organizations and directories in your field as
well as with local organizations your market turns to for
information.
How much will it cost? Nothing but time. Companies hoping to
sell you upgraded services offer free basic Web sites, including
the tools to create them from ready-to-customize templates. These
include www.bigstep.com, www.bizland.com, www.homestead.com
and www.websiteforfree.com. Such sites will carry
obligatory ads or banners at the top, but for $10 to $20 per month,
you can host with sites like www.interland.com and www.valueweb.com,
and your site can be advertising-free or contain only those ads you
choose to have. Increasingly, whether local or global, if your
business isn't on the Web, many prospective customers and
suppliers simply won't take it seriously.
Small-business experts Paul and Sarah Edwards' latest
book is The Practical Dreamers' Handbook (Putnam
Publishing Group). Send them your startup questions at www.workingfromhome.com or send them in care of
Entrepreneur.