If you're marketing a product or service  and you are NOT advertising where your competition is, you'll find yourself left  behind very suddenly. There are many advantages to having a website some of  which are:
Make  money from an e-business website 
Make money through web advertisement 
Publish your ideas and writings
Provide a good multimedia entertainment experience 
Advertise your business with an online brochure Provide information to your customers and other visitors  
- Education for kids where they can learn to be creative
Perhaps you have a  "service" oriented practice such as accounting, law, or medicine that's already  doing well and you're wondering why you should burden yourself with the added  expense of a Web site. Simply put, not having a web site will soon be like not  having a listing in your local Yellow Pages. In the Web world, this is referred  to as a "corporate presence."
Even if your best  business comes by word-of-mouth, your potential customers may want to check you  out. A well designed, professional web site can give you added visibility and  credibility. Especially if you provide a public service and your goal is to get  information to a large number of people almost  instantaneously.
Additionally, the cost of maintaining a Web site is probably the most  cost-effective advertising you'll ever do. The Internet is  one of the first places a person who has access to a computer will go to get  information, the World Wide Web is “the” place your customers look to for  information. Today, the Internet is one of the most important means of  communication in the world. Now, you have the opportunity to be up to date with  the world of Information Technology by bringing your office to the World Wide  Web, so you can serve your clients better. By being on the Internet, your office  immediately gains a number of advantages over those who are not yet in cyber  space. Let us comment on the top benefits of being online.
The Internet has  changed the way that people do business. It has opened doors for endless  opportunities to make money. If you want to sell a product, you will not need to  pay rent, employees, and YOU WILL NOT NEED TO HAVE AN INVENTORY! Your risk is  lowered to the floor. Your audience reach becomes worldwide whether you want it  or not. 
In the United States,  over half of the households own a computer, and even for those who do not own  one, Internet access is available easily at public schools and libraries. If  your business is online, you give easy access to clients who like or prefer to  surf the web. A website is cost effective, meaning that it is very affordable to  own, and you’ll get much more out of your business than what you paid for it.  There are no costly rent fees, phone bills and employee wages to pay in order to  operate the website, and depending on how often you need to update it, you have  near zero cost to maintain it. 
As you fill your  website with information that is useful to your customers/clients, your online  office will be another source of information for them. One of the most important  uses of a website for a business is that it serves as an “ice breaker.” Some  people are not communicative and they would not make a phone call to inquire for  information or advice. Others are just soft spoken and shy by nature and they  would not contact you for help, even if they needed it. 
That is exactly where your website comes in. First, the types of people listed above will be able to hear from you, through a friend or an advertisement. Second, they will be able to go on the Internet and look up information about your company or firm, perhaps your qualifications. Finally, they will feel more confident to call you. Having a website can make your business grow into a successful business, that can be rewarding in the way you want.
The  informative website usually has information for  display, to “inform” the visitors. It would have information about yourself,  your company, the products that you offer and some other text to go along with  it (such as this one that you are reading). This type of website is good if your  potential customers may want to check you out. Don’t limit your business to just  word of mouth only, advertising your business or practice is the best way to go  and the internet is the place to do it.

