To use email
To generate awareness
To do business online
To improve communication
To receive information
To improve competitive advantage

So we will address these basics. Now, this site will only address the basics of website advantages.

To Use Email

Most people get connected to be able to send and receive email. With email you can send an electronic note or letter to someone and get an answer the same day. Also, email is a great way to stay in touch with your clients/customers. You can setup an email campaign.

NOTE: Caution must be taken here with email campaigns. Unfortunately there are scam kings out there in cyberspace. It’s unfortunate there are these type people out there and abuse and affective communication media to rip people off. Thus email campaigns are becoming an ineffective process.

A solid reputation must be built with the cyberspace community to have your email campaign work effectively. The use of a Company Newsletter offering your special deals is a more effective means of an email campaign.

Sending an email takes only seconds

You can send unlimited emails in most cases (depending on your ISP) to say, 100 customers, for virtually no cost, anywhere in the world.
Not only that, but you can send software programs, sound files, photographs and even video files with the email at the same speed. (Costs are part of your ISP service)

To Generate Awareness

The next most important reason is probably that a website of your own will promote your business 24 hours every day, seven days each week, and to the whole world. Nothing else offers this flexibility. If your business relies on the acquisition or distribution of information, you can't afford not to be online.

Your customers can have a current parts list or delivery schedule or price list for your goods or services at any time, just by looking up the relevant page on your website. Just imagine one price list change and the whole world can see it, instantly. No reprinting and distribution of expensive catalogues.

To Do Business Online
Direct sales over the web are possible via PayPal and credit card purchases. Alternatively, one of your website pages can be structured as an order form for the customer to print out at home and send back with a check or their credit card number added (you can check out a “add to cart” service).

To Improve Communication
Some of the larger businesses use a website to keep employees such as sales representatives around the country, or even around the world in touch with head office.

To Receive Information
You might also want to get connected so that you can receive information from the Internet. Using a Web browser, finding new suppliers, comparing prices, and getting product specifications are all quite easy.

To Improve Competitive Advantage
One of the reasons that small businesses go online is that a well designed website for even a one man business can have just the same presence on the web as a multi-national corporation. Larger businesses see it as a way to reinforce not only their brand (which is becoming increasingly important), but also as a way to reinforce an image of leadership and potential.

All businesses see it as the key to keeping ahead of the competition. 

There are other reasons, too numerous to go into here.

It is also reshaping our town centers as financial organizations, brokers, agencies and other businesses first merge, then abandons their overhead-laden small shops, and opt for access to a bigger market with lower overheads direct and live on-line.