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“Website: An Advantage That Doesn’t Cost a Fortune”

 In 1992 a Swiss software engineer Tim Berners Lee introduced a graphical hypertext navigation tool called the World Wide Web or WWW to the Internet. The World Wide Web made the internet graphically interesting and easy to use. It had a universal appeal thus making the Internet an international phenomenon.

A website is a location on the World Wide Web; it is group of Web Pages that collectively represent a company, or individual on the World Wide Web. Each website has its unique name known as Domain Name.

The first page of the website is called a home page. For example, most companies, organizations, or individuals that have Web sites have a single address that they give you. This is their home page address. From the home page, one can get to all the other pages on their web site. For example, the Web site for Antasoft Technologies has the home page address of http://www.antasoft.com. (The actual location is http://www.antasoft.com/index.htm), one can navigate all the pages of the website from this location.

A website is the most economical marketing alternative available today, It is better than any company’s brochure or expensive full page advertisement in News Papers or Television. A website can contain more information than any of the available marketing alternatives available today, it is dynamic and the content can be changed any time. A website can be used to set up a dealer network, it could be a portfolio of a sculptor, it could be a website of institution, college or school providing information to the students, parents, recruiting new staff etc, it could be a website of Hotel which can be viewed globally or it could be an e-commerce enabled website which may be your virtual marketplace.

The latest reports concludes that the online sales through e-commerce in US alone has crossed the mark of $11.2 billion in Q4 of 2003 and has shown a tremendous growth rate of 24% than last year.

With a web site, your products or services are accessible globally, to prospective customers 24 hours, 365 days a year. More and more people these days are using the internet because of its convenience and to save time. Customers and the general public almost expect that every good company has a web site. If people want any information on products or services of a company, they say, "I think they have a website, I'll check that out first.”

Because web-sites are quicker, easier and more cost-effective to update than print based media; therefore, it can have pictures, details and prices of your products, the very latest company information, or maps indicating the location of your company’s outlets. A web-site can play an integral part of your company’s promotional and marketing strategy. It also makes a powerful statement about your business, showing that you have planned for the future by securing your on-line presence today.

 The Advantages of having a website are:

1. Business can be conducted when it is convenient for your client whether it be during the day or in the middle of the night. You are never actually closed. In an e-commerce website, customers can shop the products and services anytime in 24 hours.

2. The Website can be seen from any place in the world, it is a global phenomenon.

3. Website can be updated with latest news/prices/information etc much easily, cheaply and almost instantaneously than any other medium.

4. Website can be linked with other advertising campaigns therefore creating brand awareness.

5. Business can advertise on the internet 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year.

7. You can compete with other companies in your market area much easily and at very less investment.

8. Consumers can search for products and services online before making purchases. Being found on the Internet gives an extra advantage over your competition.

9. Website can provide further support to existing customers by offering information such as troubleshooting procedures, product specification and parts list, how-to procedures, diagrams, and special help lines. By having this help available 24 hours a day it decreases the number of complaints, and reduces the customer support staff by almost half.

10. There is potential for your website to become a resource of information for the public. By supplying helpful tips and articles that are relevant to your industry you will have a number of repeated visitors and that will enhance your brand image.

11. Consumers prefer doing business with companies that they know something about.  A website informs visitors about the structure of your company, the products and services you offer, awards and your achievements, and employment opportunities.

Thus it can be concluded that “A website is an advantage that doesn’t cost a fortune”.

Anant Sharma

Send your suggestion at anant@antasoft.com

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