Most of the business owners or corporate managers are doubtful about the contributions of a website to the business entity. They are arguing about the levels of the ROI (Return On Investment) on the website is not justified. Let me brief some of my points of view on this particular issue as below:

1. Website = Appearance / Shop Front of your business on the Internet

For starting a traditional business, everyone is trying their best to do the greatest decorations of the shop front, for the purpose of attracting the maximum level of the customer flow in to the shop. It is actually the same reason that you will have to do the best on your website to attract the maximum flow of the internet customer flow. As a traditional business owner or manager, you might need to spend a lot more budget on the shop front renovation than the cost of building a great website(which might bring more businesses than your physical shop!). Important note: Most customers nowadays will actually try to understand your products and services through your website in the first place, and then only send in their request once they have enough confidence on your business, therefore you will only get to have their contacts and to discuss the details of their needs on your products and services.

2. Website = "Always there" marketing materials to promote your products and services

For promoting your business to the potential groups of customer, the marketing material such as flyers, brochure, poster and etc that you might need to print out and get your marketing company to distribute it. Unfortunately, your potential customer who received these physical marketing materials from you might be lost it in whatever reason. You know that these physical things that we just unable to keep it forever by our side. Therefore, you need your website not only to keep it, but promote it forever as you want it to do.

3. Website = the greatest multi-task employee, works 24 hour non-stop for your business

Your website is your online sales representative. It promotes your business to the global market; It helps to get as many as it can to get them understand your business through the search engines such as Google, Yahoo, MSN and etc. Your website is also your online customer service representative. It serves to solve the problems of your customers, providing the after sell services, building up your business reputation and rapport with the customers. Your website is also your online business culture disseminator. The design style and contents are representing the unique culture of your business to the customers.

4. Website = Your virtual office place on the internet

The greatest internet is created for the sake of providing a CONVENIENT, SWIFTNESS, ECONOMIC environment for the communication. There is no doubt nowadays that we are able to enjoy the benefit of communicating through the internet either locally or globally among friends, colleagues, customers, suppliers and etc. We can also having to check on the sales records from the database instantly, reading the report that your investment consultant just have done and send over to you by the electronic mail.

5. Website = Online market surveyor for your business

From the analysis of the source info of the visitor to your website, you will be able to justify the market situation that favor to your business nature. By the analysis of the numbers of the unique visitor, you can be able to justify the influential ability of your website. Your website can also be used to provide a questionnaire to be filled up by the visitors or customers, in order for you to understand the needs of them.

6. Website = Your real business in the real Internet world

Most of the people still think that website is only an advertisement section to display some of the info and images of your products and the services. Well, you will be misleading to a wrong direction if you do think so as they do. Website is not merely a display banner on the internet, it is a real company which is operating on the internet in a virtual way to serve your customer better than never.