Is Your Website Reflecting the Authenticity of Your Company?

As a one-person shop with just two workers, I'm unable to sell our wares on the internet. Is a website truly necessary for me?

The author, Robin C.

Thank you very much for asking the question, Robin. You are the one millionth individual to do so. So put on your best smile, blow out your curls, and pay attention, because I'm going to address one of the most essential and often asked topics in the digital business age for the millionth time.

However, before I respond, let me take you back to the first time this question was posed to me. Al Gore claimed to have invented the notion of the Internet only a few years earlier in 1998. The Internet was in its infancy at that time.

I was speaking at an organization luncheon in Montgomery, Alabama, about the influence of the Internet on small businesses. When I was a kid, my credo was "Feed me and I will talk." Today, my credo is still the same, but I also want dessert in return for my knowledge.

Anybody may predict the future of electronic commerce, or "ecommerce," but even the most pessimistic forecasters agree that the majority of company income will come from online transactions or from offline purchases that are the consequence of online marketing efforts in the years ahead.

Even if your company is tiny and provides items or services you don't believe can be offered online, should your firm have a website? In 1998, I said the same thing I still say today: Yes, a website is a necessity for every company. Period. Without a doubt, That's for sure. Dear Driver, please accept my gratitude.

As of now, we're servicing a million and one clients.

Also, don't assume that your goods won't sell well on the internet. There isn't anything these days that can't be sold online. More than 20 million people now buy everything from books to computers to automobiles to real estate to private jets to natural gas and anything else you can think of over the internet: Almost everything you can think of, someone has already come up with a way to sell online.

In the year 2003, Internet marketing research organizations forecasted that online sales would be in the $180-200 billion USD range. A 30 to 50% increase in internet customers is also expected over the next several years. Those figures alone should persuade you to invest in a website for your company.

To be clear, I am not advocating that you devote all of your efforts to selling your products online, but you should explore it if your product lends itself to internet sales.

If you have a presence on the World Wide Web, customers, prospective workers, business partners, and possibly even investors, can quickly and easily find out more about your company and the goods or services you have to offer if you have a presence on the Web.

That being said, just having a website is insufficient. In order to be taken seriously, your website should have a professional appearance. A strong first impression is critical in today's market, and your website might be your best opportunity to generate a positive impression on a prospective customer. Make a favorable impression with your website if you design it like a color-blind monkey's playground.

The Internet has made it possible for small businesses to compete on an equal footing with large ones. Because first impressions count, a well-designed website may help your small business project the appearance and professionalism of a much bigger organization. However, the opposite is also the case. Several large corporations' websites I've seen were so poorly designed and difficult to use that they were devoid of any professionalism or authority at all. For you, it's a win-win situation.

You also state that your company is small, but size is unimportant when it comes to reaping the benefits of a website.Even if you're just a one-man operation or a multi-billion dollar corporation, you're losing revenue to your competitors if you don't have a website. However, there is one notable exception to my generalizations: It's better to not have a website at all than to have one that harms your company's reputation.

Your company's online presence says a lot about you. A website may either convey the message: "Hey, see how serious we are about our company that we have built this fantastic website for our clients!" or it can convey the message: "" or "" My ten-year-old nephew helped build my website! I wish you the best of luck! "

Do you know what your website says about you?