Article by
Shaifol A. Hamin

It is obvious... web sites are the hottest means of communications today. Everyone is connected either via home, office or mobile.

It is the norm for a company to have a website nowadays if they want to be taken seriously. It is unimaginable for any not to have one. Having only an email address is not an Internet address and sadly, having a generic domain name as a business email address, such as yahoo, gmail or singnet, just do not cut it. It would dissuade any potential prospect from making that contact as it does not relay professionalism.


Why You Should Consider Having a Web Site
Here are 8 reasons you should consider mounting your own web site.

		Part of a marketing/communication plan. You have defined your target audiences, you know how to communicate with them, and you know they use the web. You can use a web site to provide information and appeal to prospects round the clock.
		Customer support. If your client base is technology oriented, they may wish to interact with your professionals in this way. You can provide explanations, sample documents or other information on your web site in a place they can refer without taking your valuable (and costly!) time.
		Online sales. Secure servers are more common and recent research studies show that there will be a very sharp increase in online purchasing.
		Competition. If your most visible direct competitors have a web site, you may feel obligated to have one, too, just so you don't get overlooked. Try to identify your unique qualities and target audiences, and then create a web site that will appeal to them, rather than try to imitate what you see other firms do.
		Internal communications. If you have multiple offices but don't have a WAN (wide area network) or Intranet, consider placing newsletters, press releases, announcements, even your firmwide telephone and E-mail address lists on a website. It will be easy for your employees to access it and find information they need seven days a week, 24 hours a day.
		Pride. To many in a firm, having a professional looking web site is a source of pride, a sign that the firm is taking advantage of technology and is a good place to work. It gives employees something to brag about and point to.
		Recruiting. Today's recruits go to the Net first to look for information, since they are typically comfortable with the technology, they will want a firm in which they can expect to use their technology expertise. They will expect you to have a web site.
		Widens the prospective client base. Your professionals can't meet everyone they need to meet or attend every event they need to attend in order to meet prospects and talk about your firm's capabilities. A web site is your silent ambassador to people you might not have thought to contact, to get into executive suites you might not be able to enter.

With advance technology and more internet savvy users, there's more to be done with just having a website.

So how do you maximise your web presence?

There is no one block solution for it, as each industry and company cater and target different demographic of end users or consumers. Make full use of web technology and harness it to the fullest; the website can be more than just a 'static' text and images, let it be interactive and work 'harder' for you.

Building or revamping a well functional web site that delivers, aesthetically and objectively, does not have to cost you an arm or a leg. However, having an expensive website does not necessarily mean that its good either.

Proper planning coupled with the right design executions will produce a website that works!

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