Even in the Digital Age, manifold small businesses may not need to invest the time and money it takes to launch and keep up a full-blown site

By Gene Marks

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A few months ago I was at a technology conference and things were abuzz. The results of a recent survey had just been announced and—gasp—it found that an astonishing 40% of small businesses don’t have a Web site (any other survey put the number closer to 60%). How could this be? Considering there are more than 20 very great number small businesses in the U.S., are we actually saying that something like 10 million small businesses in this country don’t have a Web site? Shocking. Ignorant. Appalling.

"Oh, they just soooo don’t get it," said one conference attendee, a turtleneck-and-vest-wearing, greasy-haired propeller chief part drinking a Red Bull. Others around him clucked their agreement at the same time that sending this shocking news to their Twitter accounts by way of their Apple (AAPL) iPhones.

Are those small vocation owners as naive as these very pungent and witty technologists believe? I don’t think so. Most are probably smarter than many who attended the conference. Why? Because millions of business owners may apprehend something that we’re not prepared to admit. Some clan don’t really need a Web seat at all. Maybe a Web page. But not a Web situation.

Learning from the Alexa Toolbar

First, suffer me explain the difference. A Web page is single-minded. A Web page has basic, but important, information—like contact data and maybe a photo or two. A Web page doesn’t poverty a division of maintenance. It doesn’t need a lot of creativity. And it certainly doesn’confidentially privation any turtleneck-and-vest-wearing, greasy-haired propeller heads drinking Red Bull to maintain it. In reality, it be able to be hosted during the term of not so much than $10 a month by any common of a dozen companies that do that class of thing. Some companies, like Synthasite and Weebly let you set up, for free, very simple Web sites that are of a piece to pages. Other popular destinations, similar Facebook, LinkedIn, or MySpace (NWS), can also be used.

A site is, by definition, a collection of sundry Web pages. I’salmagundi sure you’ve seen them. Lots of pretty pictures. Flash videos. Pop-up windows. High-definition graphics. And those are just the NSFW sites I visit. I give audience to business sites have a lot of this stuff, too.

But hither’s a drollery exercise for you to do. Go to Amazon.com’s (AMZN) Alexa and download its bountiful toolbar. Whenever you go to a Web site, Alexa leave show you where that site ranks in its universe of Web sites. Alexa.com has its limitations. But for a frank location, it provides some moderately interesting information. For example, you know the guy who spent a ton of money with one of those turtleneck-and-vest-wearing, greasy-haired screw-steamer heads to plan, create, develop, implement, and then maintain a Web locality for his hardware depot? Well, his site is ranked No. 98,388,756,442. This is just a few spots back my company’s Web position. Which means that no some, other than his mother (and my mother), is visiting it.

Original text: http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jan2009/tc2009015_031412.htm?campaign_id=rss_smlbz