The simple answer to the question posed is yes. Regardless of your industry, a website is a must. A few examples...

Small business (1-40 employees)--Even if the bulk of your sales are not online, the simple fact that you have a website makes you look more professional. No one can pay a secretary for 24hr, 7days/week service. However, with a website, you have exactly that. At the very least, it gives current clients a way to contact you after your normal business hours. It also gives potential clients a window into what your business can do for them.

Medium business (41-499 employees)--At this point, you can begin to get your piece of the internet sales pie. Every good business knows that you can supplement your labor costs, and increase overall revenue by using the information superhighway.

Large business (500-~ employees)--If you have made it this big, and you don't have a website...what is the matter with you? Seriously. Soon, people will begin to move closer to your competitors simply because they have a website.

Just because I'm a web/graphic designer does not mean I'm trying to market myself to you. Everyone who owns a business needs to understand the benefits of the web. Whether it's for marketing, profits, and/or a little of both, the internet is a place that any modern day company needs to get to.

I agree. Every business today needs a website. When people want to find out about you, they often don't want to call. They want a no-risk, low-key way of finding out who you are and what you do. Your website should contain plenty of information. I can't tell you how many sites I've visited that don't list office hours, phone numbers, locations, and other vital information. More and more, people are using the internet to gather information and compare vendors, etc. If you are absent, or don't have enough info on your site, you lose out to your competitors.

Exactly. That is precisely why I started my web design business and why I feel I can make serious money from it. Businesses are started EVERY DAY - it's a fact. So, all of these are going to want websites, that's where I come in. Soon, I'll employ people (and hopefully become a large business myself) and I'll go from there.

But yes, the point is, that all businesses NEED a website, no matter what.

I agree with the fact business of any size needs a website presence. As a startup myself, I've discovered that it's not cheap to have a custom web site by a graphic designer. The quotes I have gotten was between $600-1000 for a basic website. I resorted to working with a template for $75. My needs are basic and the templates fit the budget.

I truly believe in that you know your own business best and having a graphic designer to folow up on the many changes can be costly.

yes, it can be very costly, but also be aware that, many templates are sold over and over again. I've seen many sites in the webhosting business (really!) That also can make you look very unprofessional also, so take aware of that also.

We never use templates in our designs unless the client specifically asks us too - even then we will advise against it.

Hosting companies use them because they want to cut down on costs but look good at the same time - seeing the exact same layout on 3 or 4 different hosting companies doesn't create this impression !

I am sorry guys but I do not believe that every business needs a web site.

Those who are listening I would suggest you look at who is saying you do, web designers. Now they are not going to make money off most of you but they do have to be sold on their product and industry.

No body will ever be able to convience me that the local gas station needs a web site. In my industry about five years ago every body was yelling get a website get a website. So alot of us jumped up and put $5 or $10k into sites. Well the promised profits did not materialize so now most of those sites have been deligated to fancy brochures.

Many industries will deffinatily benifit from sites. But to say all industries need them is to say all industries have the same dynamics. Well they dont. Some industries sell only to local customers who have never been on the internet.

good luck all

website without shopping cart also benefit to the business. Of course, you still need a very detail business plan when you plan to have a website. Like florist is target on local customer, but having a website allow local people to find them easily. Some site list the cheapest gas on your area. You still benefit from the website.

If you need business card in your business, having a website also benefit. I think people have enough knowledge to judge which kind of business need website.

I find I need to apologize for my industry/competitors quite often because many companies/industries have lost a lot of money putting together a website without seeing any ROI. Here's the simplest explanation I can offer:

Most designers are designers. What a concept. Most are not marketers nor do they have any understanding of what makes marketing activities produce sales. This is an oversight that has cost my industry dearly in terms of reputation and trust.


Concept 1a: A website is not a marketing campaign.

A website can take many forms. It can be a postcard, a brochure, a retail store, a warehouse of information and even more. But think of it like this. If you printed 5000 postcards or brochures and never mailed it or gave it to anyone, how much sales do you expect it to produce. Here’s a clue: ZERO. If you opened up an incredible retail location in the middle of nowhere and told no one where it was located, how much in volume should you plan on doing? Here’s another clue: ZERO! The point is: you can’t create a website and expect it to work miracles.

Concept 1b: A website should be part of a well-thought-out campaign.

Like wholesalewhere said, you need to understand your business first before you undertake creating/launching a website. You need to understand specifically, I repeat, SPECIFICALLY how you plan on using the site. Will you have a sales team call prospects, ask to send them an email, send an email with link to your site and follow up to set up an appointment? Will you use Pay Per Click ads & search engine optimization to drive prospects to your site and attempt to convert them into a phone call or email? Will you attend a tradeshow, email people you meet and follow up with them over the phone? You guys get the idea. You need to understand specifically how you plan on using your website. This will guide you deciding whether you need a site and if you do, how it should be constructed.

Lets take Richards example. I can't say that a local gas station should not get a website. I say if they can map out how they plan on using the site and the expected returns (realistically) justify putting together website, do it. If not, don't waste your money.

A Short Story
About 7 months ago, I had a meeting with a company that sold concrete; nothing more, nothing less. Just concrete. They sell only to large builders. There are five total competitors in the city. They receive RFP’s via fax. They respond with a $x.xx per cubic ft bid. All their competitors receive the same RFP. They all respond the same way. If they get the contract, they get a confirmation fax back. Very efficient system I must add. There is no phone call, unless there is a problem. It’s how it has worked for the last 40 years. Many designers would try to sell them on the basis of image, but in this case, there was no image evaluation happening. Some may suggest marketing to gain home improvement contracts. In my consultation, it was clear that they had an aggressive growth plan mapped out. Home improvement projects were not part of their plan. Some may even say they might be able to recruit folks using their site. Right now, blue collar workers (99% of their HR) don’t go online to look for a job and they had no shortage of workers. At the end of my consultation, I told their management that they could get a site to boost their own ego but it wouldn’t be a marketing investment and they should not expect any profits to be generated using it. I recommended against it. In the next week, I had 5 referrals, of which 4 turned into clients.

Most web designers won’t understand this. Some are artists. Some are technologist. Some are just clueless. Finding a firm that understands marketing and the dynamics of web marketing is the key. They are out there, but very, very far in between.

The moral: Get clear on your goals and needs before you look for a web design firm or find team that can help you identify your goals and needs. If you don’t, you’ll be screwed.