by Richard Helling

Created on: December 24, 2008

By now it should be fairly obvious that the Internet is not just another fad that will go the way of the Bee Gees and the DeLorean. To say that the Internet has changed the model by which all companies do business is a gross understatement. However, that still does not change the fact that an alarming percentage of green industry companies have little or no web presence whatsoever. The reasons for this lack of web presence run the gamut from "my customers don't use the web" to "I don't have the time or money to put into that right now". Any response as to why a company does not have a website is simply ridiculous. Websites, I would argue, are the single most important part of advertising your company. A good web presence immediately establishes your business as both legitimate and professional. Quite simply, a good website lends you immediate credibility. It is an easy leap in a customers mind to think: "this company took the time to place a professional website on the Internet so they are most likely serious about their business". The website is the one most powerful tool in the arsenal of advertising used to gain new business and keep regular customers coming back.

Think of it in terms of return on investment if you like. The cost of putting up the website that will work for you 24 hours a day seven days a week versus placing ads in newspapers that might get viewed once or paying a telemarketer to make endless calls with a very low percentage of hits. Even the door to door flyer method does not give the same return on investment. Also, a website address printed on your business card allows a potential client to actually view the work you have done which speaks far more clearly than any billboard or ad campaign. The web presence also lets the customer go home and think about it. They can look up the website and read about the people and look at the pictures of the work that the company has done before. It is a slow and easy sell that allows the customer to make a decision over time. A website is not a high pressure sales pitch or a flyer that shows up on your doorstep; it's a non-intrusive way to place your company comfortably in front of a potential customer.

If you are still not convinced I will offer this final and most important point. If you don't have a website you can absolutely guarantee that your competitor will. Given a choice between a company with no website and another company that offers similar services that has a website, there is no comparison. Without a website, you will lose that new customer every time. Regardless of the size of your business, you can guarantee that the biggest companies all have web presences so there is absolutely no reason to not have a website that advertises your services.

There are literally thousands of web site services available at little to no cost so start researching ways to get your message out immediately. It takes time to develop a good website from scratch so regularly allocate time and resources to get your website up and running. Your customers and most importantly your bottom line will thank you for a little time and effort right now.

Learn more about this author, Richard Helling.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.