Entrepreneurship: Websites are Essential for Small Businesses; And They do not Need to Break the Bank

This article was contributed by Greg Bahlmann, Executive Director of EZBIZsa

A website is a necessity in modern business life. Research shows that more and more business people say that they look up companies online that they have heard about and from what they see on their websites, decide whether or not they are worth dealing with And if the company has no website, many business people will not bother doing business with them as not having a website screams “unprofessional” and perhaps even fly-by-night. The fact is, every business from the corner shop to the large corporation needs to have a presence online purely to be seen as being serious about what they do.

Websites come in many shapes and sizes. Many are simply online brochures, showing off the products and services of the business they were built for, as well as providing contact details and some background information. However, a decent website can do so much more and become an active part of your business' marketing campaign, telling people about what you do, taking messages and even sending out promotional material day in and day out. It should be one cog in every business owners' online promotional machine, along with social media, blogs and forums.

Many small businesses don't look into having a website built for fear of the perceived exorbitant costs involved. Yes, a good custom-built website with all the bells and whistles can be expensive. But simply getting your company online need not be. There are several decent online website builders that allow you to set your website up yourself and cost a few dollars a month. Some are even free. If you do not have a website for your business, you really should think about setting one up.

Greg Bahlmann runs EZBIZsa , an online website builder for small businesses in Southern Africa.

SAIBL will pass any comments or questions on to Greg, or, if you are interested in his web design services, please follow the link above to his company website.