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Small and Medium Enterprises (SME’s) of today’s economy have become more and more aware about the fact that Information Technology will surely enable them  to excel in the marathon and gain an edge in this competitive environment.  Internet  is emerging at a rapid pace and it’s already become a part in the field of business, economy, entertainment, social and cultural groups across the globe. Every business related to any niche field or general knows the importance of Internet and creating a business website to show their products to potential consumers / partners is of vital importance to gain competitive advantage.

Below are some of the statistics which highlights internet usage statistics in the world.

Comparison of  World Internet Users and Population Stats.

WORLD INTERNET USAGE AND POPULATION STATISTICS March 31, 2011
World Regions	Population ( 2011 Est.)	Internet Users Dec. 31, 2000	Internet Users Latest Data	Penetration (% Population)	Growth 2000-2011	Users % of Table
Africa	1,037,524,058	4,514,400	118,609,620	11.4 %	2,527.4 %	5.7 %
Asia	3,879,740,877	114,304,000	922,329,554	23.8 %	706.9 %	44.0 %
Europe	816,426,346	105,096,093	476,213,935	58.3 %	353.1 %	22.7 %
Middle East	216,258,843	3,284,800	68,553,666	31.7 %	1,987.0 %	3.3 %
North America	347,394,870	108,096,800	272,066,000	78.3 %	151.7 %	13.0 %
Latin America / Carib.	597,283,165	18,068,919	215,939,400	36.2 %	1,037.4 %	10.3 %
Oceania / Australia	35,426,995	7,620,480	21,293,830	60.1 %	179.4 %	1.0 %
WORLD TOTAL	6,930,055,154	360,985,492	2,095,006,005	30.2 %	480.4 %	100.0 %
NOTES: (1) Internet Usage and World Population Statistics are for March 31, 2011. (2) CLICK on each world region name for detailed regional usage information. (3) Demographic (Population) numbers are based on data from the US Census Bureau . (4) Internet usage information comes from data published by Nielsen Online, by the International Telecommunications Union, by GfK, local Regulators and other reliable sources. (5) For definitions, disclaimer, and navigation help, please refer to the Site Surfing Guide. (6) Information in this site may be cited, giving the due credit to www.internetworldstats.com. Copyright © 2001 – 2011, Miniwatts Marketing Group. All rights reserved worldwide.

For SME’s who are looking into both escalating business and introducing it to more number of people, a professional business website will be a very vital tool which should contain upto date information about the company’s products/services and expertise in that field. many a times it happens that the business website backfires simply because of negligence which actually results in shows down upon the company’s seriousness and strategic intent of creating a website. The Reason is very simple, most entrepreneurs /proprietors and business owners are in a haste to start their website and mark their presence in the web space as well, by urgently assigning designers and programmers to work on the website.

Some interesting Statistics about Internet usage and penetration in India (2010):

• 1,173,108,018 (1.1 billion) population and 88,000,000(88 million) active Internet users in 2010
• Total of 6.9% penetration rate (6.9 persons using Internet out of 100)
• India has 10.52 million broadband users (till Oct.2010), constituting 6.0% of the population.

Most websites once created are never checked for their performance mapping- thus in most cases the data is not updated, queries posted on the web go unanswered, intersystem browsing is not easy, contact details can’t be accessed, and the list can go on.  So here’s a must have list which will help you determine what all your webpage should offer in order to be proficient to help gain the competitive advantage that is central to hosting a website. Another most important thing is to keep the website updated on a regular basis.

1. Importance of Understanding the Need for a website,

Unless the objective is clear the whole effort of creating a corporate website will be futile and this will create a confusion in the visitors mind.

2. Know your Target Audience,

This becomes important from a business stand point as the website should give complete information about your business, stake holders, partners, customers, contacts etc.

3. Prepare crisp and focused content relevant to your business.

Too much information about your company will drive away the audience and too little information will also not generate any interest. Provide useful information for your visitors such as Frequently asked questions and answers. Utilise visuals and videos to create high interest levels.

4. Promote your company’s website

Build effective Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) context around your website. Use Social Media Marketing (SMM) tools to promote it aggressively. Build Back Links, these links to your website from other sites, and help show the search engines that your company website is relevant and important, and will help get better results in the search engines and bring in more traffic.

5. Constant Monitoring and Analysis of Web Traffic,

Use Google Analytics or StatCounter to monitor and analyse how many visitors your website has, how did they found your website, where they come from, and how they use your site. The usefulness of the website can be determined only by the number of visitors it attracts on  a regular basis.

Thus the key to successful hosting a business website is in evaluating its impact and constantly reengineering according to the need base. Hence Business Owner needs to be very proactive and alert in terms of creating a more effective Buisness Website. Market research is most essential and critical to any business proposition. Look at the other websites in your local market or global markets. Copy their good ideas and avoid their mistakes, that will be the best learning route which SME’s can take to ensure that the effort is worth time money and energy and meets the required objective.