But I Don't Need a Website!

Why Business Websites Matter

While more and more businesses are going on-line, there are still plenty who don't yet understand the importance of having a presence on the web, or that think its just all too hard and too expensive.

Room for Improvement

The Australian Bureau of Statistics tells us that 60% of Australian businesses did not have a web presence as at July 1, 2010.

But The Old Ways" Still Work!

We agree! Print, radio and TV advertising are still effective media for advertising, and no doubt these traditional advertising options will be available well into the future.However their share of advertising revenue is reportedly falling, and the share going to the Internet is climbing.

Have you noticed when passing some blocks of apartments, the large piles of phone books stacked outside? I have. What does this mean? Well, people, particularly younger adults, simply don't need phone books any more. They can find whatever they need on the Internet. Whether at home, at work or on the move, people now have access to the Internet - almost anywhere, any time.

Sure, we have clients that continue to advertise in printed directories, and they get some of their business this way. There are those who find newspapers are still effective to some extent, and certainly, TV can work well, and although quite expensive to use, it remains a powerful means of advertising.

So, What's the Web Offering?

You may have heard about a year ago, Rupert Murdoch was being reported saying he was replicating his media outlets (papers and magazines) on the Internet. His New York Times has already moved online, and anyone can subscribe to the digital news service. Mr Murdoch has to be considered one of the most powerful and successful media magnates in the world today. He, like other newsprint publishers, must surely be seeing the writing on the wall - and it says "Go digital, or die".

By moving onto the web, a business is able to give people what they want, at precisely the time they're looking for it. That's really all there is to it. Twenty four hours a day, every day, people can access the Internet to :

• research products and services to work out what best fits their needs
• check pricing from competing suppliers
• instantly purchase products and even some services (like subscription to the NY Times)
• have goods shipped to their front door, often the same day, or within 24-48 hours
• purchase goods and have them sent from overseas

This is what more and more people want - instant solutions! A business website is a great way to serve this growing demand. There are few effective alternatives, and none I know of where you can place your products/services in front of the consumer at the exact time they're ready to place an order.

Remember too, that once you have your business website up and running, use it to sell what you're offering, instead of using the traditional advertising mediums for direct marketing. The money you save should more than cover the cost of your website, with the savings going on long after the website has been paid for. Now it's a matter of how you apply the savings to boost business.

But What About the Other Advertising Methods?

Here's the beauty of it all. Keep using print, radio and/or TV, but cut back on expenditure by switching from using these to sell your products and services. Instead, use them to promote your website. Once the other advertising media deliver customers to your website, use the website to "sell" them on what you're offering. Not only will you save a significant amount on traditional advertising, you'll also have access to "ready to buy" consumers at very low ongoing cost. A typical small business website can cost as little as $AU30 a month, or even less.

We plan to talk more in future about using SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) within your website to attract more customers, rather than only relying just on traditional advertising methods. We think both approaches have their purpose, but SEO should never be overlooked - if people can't find you on the web, they'll surely find someone else!