The vast majority of web sites for small businesses are basic informational sites. Many people rightly call these sites online brochures. Taking into account the price associated with developing a web site, thats one expensive brochure! Web sites should be more than just an expensive brochure: they should be a solution to a problem.

What Can My Web Site Do For Me?
Thats the question of the day: what can my web site do for me? It doesnt matter if you sell products or services, your web site should be an integral part of your business. Web technology has advanced so much over the past few years; your web site has a large amount of potential. Put some thought into what your business needs and then try to accomplish that with your web site. Here are some ideas of some functions that come to mind:

Online Appointment Management This would be great for doctors, dentists, lawyers, practically anyone who has a lot of appointments. Think about being able to set up a dentist appointment online and then having that appointment sync with your Microsoft Outlook calendar. It would also be great to get those teeth cleaning reminders via email; which would cut down costs for dentists.

Project Management and Time Tracking Anyone who operates by projects can use project management software. Keeping track of project progress and employee hours is essential to making sure your business is productive. The benefit of the software being web based is that it can be accessed from any computer with an internet connection. There are actually some good free project management systems available. Check out Dotproject at www.dotproject.net.

E-Commerce This is a no-brainer. If you sell any type of product, you should have an e-commerce site. You can link your e-commerce site into other large sites like Amazon and Froogle for a reasonable price. Theres never been a better time to have an e-commerce site, if its designed well

Customer Relationship Management Almost everyone needs it; does your company have it? Having a way to track leads, potential clients, and keeping track of those relations is crucial for any business. The big plus to making CRM web based is that if you have multiple offices, they can all stay coordinated with sales efforts. There are some very good CRM web applications out there that are open source. Check out SugarCRM at www.sugarcrm.com.

This is just a chunk of the iceberg. Basically almost any paper driven process can be translated to the web. Less paper, easier storage, and easier accessibility makes web applications very attractive to businesses. Is your web site a solution to your problems? If not, then take a look at the big picture. The answer might be starring right back at you!