STRIKING DESIGNS

• Any business owner should at least have an electronic brochure somewhere in cyberspace. The internet is the first place where potential business associates look to "check you out" (i.e. "Gooogle you"). A website is part of your public image.
• Most people will agree that the internet search industry is like nothing else that we have ever seen (apart from maybe the whole internet in itself). If a business ignores search engines (or the internet), it is missing out on a market that is growing by the day.
• A website is a "silent salesman"; it gives potential customers the opportunity to view your products and services from the comfort of their chairs. Even though a business might not necessarily sell goods or services online, the potential customer can make a decision online to visit you in person to do business.
• Because your competitors (with websites) will take away your customers without you even knowing it. For example, who would have thought that Ebay will become the biggest car dealer in the world?
• The sooner you get a website, the better you will fare in future internet searches. The older a website, the better the search engines rank them. If you think that "in three years time, I will need a website", it is advisable to rather start today. In three years time, it will be so competitive that you might not even "get in" (i.e. your website will rank on page 100 of search results).
• The days that people look in the Telephone Directory for your phone number are so to say gone. A growing number of people simply Google your name to get your phone number. If they Google you and don't find you, they might see your competitor in the search results and then you might lose a loyal client.
• A Website allows you to compete with bigger and more established businesses.
• You can save on marketing and printing costs. A business can get a lot more bang for their buck on the internet than any other method of marketing or advertising.
• As fuel costs and traffic increases (as well as internet access), more and more people will prefer to first browse online before getting into their vehicles to drive to the supplier.
• Even though you might "be fully booked" and don't need any more customers, don't you think that you can perhaps expand or increase your gross profit?
• A Website serves as a "communication tool" to keep your stakeholders interested and informed about your business or organization.
• The question is not to ask "Can I afford to have a web site?", but rather "Can I afford not to have a web site?"

Do you ever use Google to find products and services or contact details of businesses? If you answered yes, then you obviously understand that it is important to have a good presence on the internet. If you have not heard of Google then you have probably been on the moon for the last couple of years! Google is now the world's biggest brand, second year in a row! If your website is not found when searching on Google you are missing out on a lot of new business. You might even be losing clients to your competitors and not even know it. Having a good, search engine optimized, website is like having your company brochure available to 2 billion internet users all around the world. OK, so you won't sell a bicycle to someone in China, but nevertheless you need to be on the internet as there are millions of internet searches done everyday right here in South Africa.