1. People Will Look for You Online.

When someone types your name or business into a search engine, What do you want them to find? These are people who want to see you. They are looking for what you are selling, and if you don’t have a website, you’re letting them down. They expect to see you online. For many people, you might as well not exist if you can’t be found with a search engine. Not having a website is like not being listed in the phone book. Can you run your business without a phone? In this ‘Information Age,’ being online is vital.

2. Websites Cost Next to Nothing

Until a few years ago, it cost a lot to run a website, but those days are long gone. There are literally thousands of places that can host your website. There are free hosting companies that give away space in exchange for putting banner advertising (of which you have no control) on your site. Your ISP may give you hosting space. Again, this should be reserved for personal websites, not for business.

3. Websites are Great Advertising

Whether advertising services, products or just yourself, a website is a great way to do it. Every other kind of advertising costs a premium, especially if you want to target a specific type of person, and there’s no guarantee that they’re paying attention. Websites are like brochures that are free to reproduce, interactive, and quickly distributed to people already looking for them. No advertising medium even comes close to a website’s ease of use and effectiveness.

4. A Website is a Worldwide Presence

On the web, it doesn’t matter whether someone is next door to you or on the other side of the world; they can see your website just the same as anyone else can, and it doesn’t cost you or them anything extra. Phone and mailing cost enormous amounts long-distance, but your website lets you send information anywhere without additional effort or expense. You can make friends and contact in places you’ve never been and will never go suddenly; working globally is no more effort than working locally.

5. Your Website Can Make You Money

There’s a lot of money on the web, and getting some is not hard. The longer you’re online, the bigger your share can get. If you have something to sell, you can sell it worldwide, thanks to credit cards. Most hosting companies even offer merchant accounts. CP web hosting has several great ways to accept online payments and build your business. Doing business online eliminates almost every overhead: all you need to do is have the goods. You can put helpful something out there with a few ads if you’ve written something useful. You won’t get rich overnight, but you can set up a steady trickle of income… and there’s no limit to the number of trickles you can set up.

6. Your Website Can Save Your Time

Giving information takes time, whether on the phone, in brochures, or even emailing your family. Websites are designed to save you time. All your family and friends can read your online diary (known as a blog), but you only have to write it once. Customers can see your whole product catalogue without needing to talk to or visit you. This is the power of the web: things on it are written only once but can be downloaded endlessly. A good website runs itself and keeps being helpful to people for much longer than you’d expect.