You say that yours is a small operation, but when it comes to benefiting from a website, size does not matter. I don't care if you're a one-man show or a 10,000-employee corporate giant; if you don't have a website, you're losing business to others that do. One of the great things about the internet is that it has leveled the playing field when it comes to competing with the big boys. With a well-designed site, your little operation can project the image and professionalism of a much larger company. The opposite is also true. I've seen many websites of big companies that were so badly designed and hard to navigate that they destroyed any impression of professionalism. This will cause any size business to lose credibility.

      Not everyone needs to actually sell their product or service over the internet, though if your product lends itself to easy online sales, you should certainly be considering it. The point here is that you should at the very least have a presence on the web so that customers, potential employees, business partners and perhaps even investors can quickly and easily find out more about you and your business, and the products or services you have to offer. The exception to this rule: It's actually better to have no website at all than to have one that makes your business look bad. Your site reflects you attitude about your business. It either says, "We take our business seriously and want to attract you as a customer. We have spent the time, effort and money to create this wonderful site to showcase our business." or it says, "Hey, look, I had a site made years ago and don't want to sink another cent into it to update it and make it better. I feel the same way about my business - I don't think my business is worth any more than that and neither should you!"

      You have one shot at making a good first impression. You must have a professional-looking site if you want to be taken seriously. Since many consumers now search for information online prior to making a purchase at a brick-and-mortar store, your site may be the first chance you have at making a good impression on a potential buyer. If your site is hard to navigate, poorly laid out, unattractive to look at, or just plain outdated, your chance at making a good first impression will be lost.