If you are business start-up or an existing one who has yet to delve into the realms of online commerce (ecommerce), you are probably wrestling with the question of "should my business have a Web site?" The answer to this questions is almost unilaterally a resounding "yes!". No matter the size or purpose of your business, your ability to be represented in the "world wide web" is a business must. Trust me, your competition has already come to this realization.

Don't be so quick to dismiss your product as one that can't be sold online. There's very little that can't be sold over the Internet. Currently, more than 20 million shoppers are now online, purchasing everything from books, computers, cars, real estate, jet airplanes, natural gas and so on. If you can envision it, someone will figure out how to sell it online.

Internet marketing research firms forecast the number of online customers will grow at a rate of 30% to 50% over the next few years. These numbers alone should be enough to influence your decision behind the validity of adding an online presence.

I should be clear: I'm not saying you should put all your labors into advertising your merchandise over the Internet, although if your product lends itself to easy online sales, you should undoubtedly be bearing in mind this option. Point is, you should, at the very least, have a web presence. Enabling your customers, potential employees, business partners and, perhaps, even investors to rapidly find out more about your company, and the products or services it has to offer.

Regardless, it is not enough you just have a Web site. It is imperative that have a professional-looking site, if you want to be taken seriously.

In view of the fact that many consumers now search for information online, preceding a purchase at a brick-and-mortar store, your site might be the first opportunity you have at making a good impression on an impending buyer.

The Internet levels the playing field when it comes to competing with the big boys. With a well-designed site, your operation can project the illustration and professionalism of a much larger company. This is excellent for small business entities - now it is your turn to let the world know who you are.

When it comes to benefiting from a web site- size doesn't matter. If you're a one-man operation or a 40,000-employee corporate mogul. If you don't have a Web site, you're losing business to your competition.

With one widely known exception: It's more beneficial to have no Web site at all, rather than one which makes your business unapproachable or visually unappealing. It is your site which speaks volumes about your business.

Your Web site is an imperative element of your business. Make sure you treat it as such.

Online profit streams

Whether you are beginning to expand your business model or simply evaluating an existing business, your principal focus should be how you're going to spawn profits. There are seven ways to generate revenue from the Web:

• Sell your products. The chief advantage to selling your products is you, ultimately, direct how much profit you make from every sale, therefore, you have the prospective for the biggest profit margin. Knowing exactly what each product costs, you can experiment with diverse price points, witnessing what works best. Consumers appreciate good value, removing the middle-man is a great way to offer your customers competitive prices which retain there patronage.
• Sell your services. It doesn't matter if you are e a small-town entrepreneur or a high-priced online legal consultant, or anything in between, you can profit from selling your service online. It's easy to get started selling a service online, however your revenue prospective, in all likelihood, is limited. Unlike someone selling a physical product which can be stored and shipped on demand, you only can provide as many services as your time permits. When you sell a service, you're essentially selling a relationship with yourself and the potential consumer. This requires you spend more time and effort establishing your credibility. Developing a relationship with your visitors is typically required on a site merely selling a product. Not only do you need to establish benefits of your services, you also need to institute the value of you providing this service.
• Drop ship products. If you desire to sell products - without the hassle of tracking your stock, setting up a warehouse and maintaining a confusing shipping/receiving infrastructure - drop-shipping may be your choice. Drop shipping lets you sell quality, brand-name products on your site for a hefty profit, while the drop shipper takes care of the order fulfillment. (They warehouse the stock, pack the orders and ship them out to your customers.)
• Recommend affiliate products. Recommending affiliate products creates a "no-risk" affiliation. One which allows you to promote another company's products or services on your site, earning a percentage of their sales. As one of the company's "affiliates" or promotion partners, you earn a commission each time someone is referred to their site and makes a purchase. To advertise their merchandise, you might post a banner on your site, one which links to the affiliate program's site. Or you can publish an article about the company and their products in your newsletter.
• Sell ad space. Once your site has highly-targeted traffic, or a large, targeted opt-in list, you may be able to sell advertising. Advertisers are willing to buy ads when they are being directed to bulky numbers of their target market. Selling ad space can be a great additional profit stream.
• Create a joint venture with like-minded businesses. Joint ventures are considered when related businesses team up to combine skills, products, services and resources to produce new streams of income and profit for both entities. A great way to profit through joint ventures is to seek out products or services which benefit your visitors, while also approaching the companies who present those products or services.
• Start an affiliate program. With your own affiliate program, you can recruit an army of people (your affiliates). Those who will recommend your product on their Web site for a percentage of any sales they refer. You can exponentially increase your income as more and more affiliates sign up, and as you continue to teach your existing affiliates how to increase their commission checks (and your income).

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