This article talks about the merits of having a web presence for your business - no matter how small or big you are, no matter how well known your business is to the world, no matter how much of publicity you are carrying out via the press, media and other means.

Twelve years ago not many had heard of the Internet. Today, most of us are aware of the Internet and know that it is the fastest and most cost-effective medium of communication. Having been involved with the Internet since 1995, we have watched it grow from a very simple & quick way of sending email to a sophisticated medium of communication.

The growth of the Internet introduced the World Wide Web - the web of websites displaying information that is accessible at mouse clicks.

The Internet, today, is one of the first places a person who has access to a computer will go, to get information. It is often said that the Internet is information. Whether it's information on health tips, art & culture, or a specific product or service, the world wide web is the place everyone looks to for information.

Businesses worldwide have taken on this economical, yet effective, means of advertising and mass communication, and are using it extensively for providing information about their products & services. The days are not far when every business will appear on the Internet in some form or the other.

The web is becoming the preferred method of choice to shop and research products and services, and business that are not on the web, no matter how big or small, will soon become yesterday's news.

Several tools and technologies have evolved that enable a business to display information and provide online interaction facilities through easily created web sites that have dynamic and interactive contents and complex functionalities. There has been an amazing growth in web functionality/technology, though the cost of implementing these functionalities have reduced considerably with time. In the late 90’s it was not unusual for a company to spend a few hundred thousands of rupees to build an eCommerce website. Today, any business, small or large, can have an Internet catalog or eCommerce web site for as low as 70,000 rupees. This has been possible due to volume of scale and reduction in cost of technology with more and more businesses now opting for online presence, and an increase in the number of service providers.

One of the questions we are often asked is - What are the benefits of having a business web site?

Through this article we essentially trying to answer this question. Though, in this article I we are talking mainly about businesses, what is written here applies equally to other organizations viz. non-profit organizations, societies, government organizations, etc. who can read and perceive this article in their context.