There are no set reasons why a business will benefit from a website.  Benefits depend a great deal upon where your potential customers are (local, national, international), the type of product or service you provide, and the extent to which your potential customers are using the "web."  There are, however, some common advantages a website should yield regardless of the scope of your business or range of your potential customer base. A few reasons your company is likely to benefit from a website: Information.  You can expose a vast audience to your "electronic brochure" describing your company, it's products and services.  You can reach a far wider audience to inform them of your existence and what you can do for them.  You can reduce your costs of mailing information to potential customers by providing online product descriptions, instructions, and specifications that they can print in their home or office. Communication.  You can provide feedback forms, e-mail links, and online surveys for your customers to communicate with you. Online Ordering.  You can receive orders for products or services from a vast audience of potential customers.  It would cost a fortune in conventional advertising to reach the same mass market as a website provides. Online Technical and/or Customer Support.  You can use your website to provide support to your customers in a variety of ways designed to best serve their needs. The Competition!  Possibly the only reason you really need!  If your competition has a web presence and you do not ... are you ready to concede the "webmarket" to your competitors? Depending on the nature of your business, it is very likely that there may be other reasons why your business might benefit from a website.  These few should provide you with some insight into what those might be. Return to "Getting Started"