EVERY small or home-based business should consider a website. There are certainly some businesses where a website offers nothing of value but for the vast majority a website can be a very effective sales channel and marketing tool. I've listed just a few reasons why a website can be such a powerful tool but before you continue - and just to underscore how valuable the Internet can be - consider these statistics:

* Two billion orders will be placed over the Internet this year.
* E-commerce revenue will be $95 billion by the end of this year and will exceed $1 Trillion by 2002.
* Holiday purchases have increased from $141 million in 1995 and are expected to be $9.5 billion this year.