Once upon a time businesses opened and local residents came to spend. The business would treat their customers right and so the customers would return. There was an unspoken appreciation between the two parties that would, in many cases, last generations.

Then came the likes of YellowPages and similar local advertising methods. Business owners undoubtedly loved the increased income walking through the door. When someone would, for example, need a dentist, they’d take a look at who’s local and take a pick from the different options, perhaps based on recommendation or urgency.

Some years later, the internet… and Google… boy how did Google change things! Potential customers could now search for one’s company and read of horrific experiences had (or great ones). The only issue that arose was the need of a presence online. Just because a business was in existence didn’t mean a website would represent them automatically. This is when web hosting became a necessity for local, small business owners.

These small business owners pondered for some time how to benefit from having a website. They certainly didn’t know how to make a website, and having to hire someone to do so meant money out of their pocket – something that’s never wished for! But then… slowly, over time… having a website became increasingly important. Business owners finally took it upon themselves to fork over the cash to web designers to get the job done. Then boom!

Business increased. The cost of the website was instantly paid for because of new customers flocking in the door. All of a sudden as people searched online for what they needed – a car repair shop, hair cutters – these companies showed up on the top of Google and became the “go-to” places for the townsfolk.

And then it became war between companies and their search engine rankings. Joe’s Burgers was above Bob’s Burgers on Google, yet everyone knew Bob’s burgers were the best! What was going on?! Then pay-per-click advertising came into play! Sheesh – how did this all happen so quickly?

Simple business practices only some years ago were so simple, basic… and now they’ve transitioned into a global online warfare! Sure, some businesses only operate locally to this day, but with the ability to create a website and reach a customer on the other side of the country opened up so many doors.

Now let me just emphasize something about web hosting while we’re on the subject. When’s the last time you visited a company’s website? Probably today, right? That’s the case for me. Now, when’s the last time you visited one of these websites and it looked like complete junk? Today for me as well! When it comes to having a website, it’s not about simply having one. That’s the easy part – all you need is web hosting. The difficult part is having a beautiful, optimized website that churns out profit like gangbusters.

One last thing before I head out – and this is a shout out to local businesses as I’ve been talking about them in this post. For around $5 per month which is what web hosting costs, do you think that the cost is worth it as an investment in your company? Do you think you can generate more than $5 per month through leads and sales generated online to cover the costs? I’m very confident that you can, and you should be as well. Perhaps you can even generate five, ten, or even one hundred folk of the costs – heck, while we’re at it, let’s go for one thousand!