The computer and the Internet are no longer the preserve of just a few people.

They are freely available or accessible worldwide today. Large Organizations and Corporations are taking full advantage of this and reaping the benefits by making their presence online to the world community at large.

Having a website and marketing your small business online has tremendous advantages. In fact a small business has every opportunity of competing on a level playing field with the larger corporations and business establishments.

1. A well designed professional looking website adds credibility to your small business and can equally impress a website visitor as much as that of a larger business establishment.

2. The website and e-mail form a great combination and are considered the most economic way of advertising your business compared to that of the media such as the TV, Radio and the Press.

3. Shopping online is growing in popularity day by day. Over 350 million people had shopped online in 2005, mostly from North America and Europe. The present day lifestyle does not permit the shopper much time to hunt for parking lots, spending time in traffic jams and standing in queues at the shopping counter. Shopping online from the comfort of your home is the best option for these shoppers because of its ease and simplicity. Your business without an online presence will certainly lag behind your competitors who have are online.

4. Though your business might put up shutters in the evening, your website will be working for you 24 hours a day right round the year. Customers who work late hours can take advantage of this and make their purchases online thus increasing your sales.

5. Customers inquiring about certain products can be directed to your website where full information accompanied by graphic images can be displayed. Video presentation of products is becoming popular too. All these things add up to a useful and profitable website experience for the customer thereby increasing sales.

6. Testing of new products needs a market survey which is a costly exercise and beyond the capacity of many small businesses. By having a questionnaire or a poll in your website you can obtain the response of your customers and visitors about your new products.
In addition special promotions could be held regularly to attract new customers and also to keep your old customers happy.

7. Small businesses limit their activities mainly to the needs and requirements of the local and regional population. The Internet affords a fantastic opportunity to a small business to broaden its scope of activity. With an online presence the business can target not only the whole country but also the global market if you have a niche product.

The Internet is booming. People living thousands of miles away are just a few minutes away through e-mail. The younger generation is growing up downloading music, videos, chatting, selling in internet auctions and making online purchases. A Small Business should capitalize on this and make its online presence felt thereby increasing its sales and profitability. The consequences of not having an online presence can spell disaster to a small business in the years to come.