Cisco's case for small business web sites

Recent article in the National Post

"Putting up a good, well-designed Web site is probably the most critical thing a small or medium-sized business can do .... Everyone goes online first to do their research, regardless of whether they buy online. If you are not present on the Web, you are making a huge mistake. We simply no longer live in a time where we can say, eh, who needs the Web?"

a few additional excerpts:

Train users to keep coming back That means keeping the site active by offering fresh content with valuable information and insights. The more often you add new information, the more that raises your ranking among search engines and the easier it is for people to find you. "One way to do this is to start a newsletter campaign,"

affiliate programs:

"There are other people out there who may be able to sell your product/service better than you can," Mr. Joel says. "Contact them and make them an affiliate. They get a commission for whatever they sell from their site and all of a sudden, you have a lot of sales agents out there doing business in the digital world for you."

Full story here ...