Published 14 January 2013

Adrian Fowler
Managing Director
If someone is considering working with you, they will probably use a search engine to find out who you are.
If they find nothing, this can be equally as bad as finding something derogatory about you, your company or your product or service.
Do I need a website?
If you have competition, you most certainly do need a Website
Even if you believe your products or services can not be sold online, your competitors probably think differently, and unless you have a competitive advantage over their marketing strategy, your business performance will suffer as a result.
Also, the internet is not just used by people to buy products or services, it is used as an information source. You can find out about anything or anyone by using the internet, and because of this, people will always start there.
Online reputation
If someone is considering working with you, they will probably use a search engine to find out who you are. If they find nothing, this can be equally as bad as finding something derogatory about you, your company or your product or service.
Why? Well if nobody including you has said anything positive about you, then how can anyone trust you can do the job or sell to me the product I need?
If I find another business offering similar products or services to yours, and I find lots of information about those products and services along with a few recommendations, then I feel compelled to want to buy into the company who appears online. Why wouldn’t I?
At the very least, you ought to consider a web presence.
By just having something online that explains who you are and what you do. A website that contains important contact details can be enough even if you have no plans to sell your products or services online.
If you believe your products or services can’t be sold online, then think again. Try to search online for what you do and see the list of results of competitors who think differently. No matter what you can think of, someone already has thought how it can be sold online and is currently doing so.
To conclude, begin with putting something out there positive about who you are, what you do and what you stand for. Think about building your brand, your image, your name so when someone is looking for something relating to what you do, they find you.