| How
large is the Web?
Internet usage is
currently DOUBLING every 100 days, and web usage is now
over 50% in 21 U.S. markets, with many areas over 65% of
their population online
Approximate size of Internet economy in 1999: $507.2
billion
Estimated size of
Internet economy in 2003: $1.2 trillion
New study shows that the
Web consists of 2.1 billion webpages, grows by 7 million
pages each day, and will double in size by early 2001.
Who
uses the Web?
Contrary to the widely
accepted notion that young people are the majority users
of the Internet, a new Media Metrix study shows that the
fastest-growing population on the web is those born
before 1964. Older surfers also use the web more heavily
than younger users.
According to the survey,
the 45-to-64 age group went online an average of 6.3
days more than the 18-to-24 year-old "Internet
Generation," stayed on more than two hours more,
and visited an average of 150 more unique pages a month.
On the other hand, older
users were outdone in their Web use in most categories
by the 25-to-34 year-olds, who were online more often,
longer, and viewed more pages.
In the first quarter of
2000, women outnumbered men online for the first time in
the U.S., accounting for 50.4% of the Web's population,
according to a study just released by Jupiter
Communications and Media Metrix. The total number of Web
users expanded by 22% during the past year, with the
number of women growing by 35%. There's even more room
to grow, as the U.S. population is actually 52% female.
How
often are people online?
Average time people spent
online in Jan. 1997: 3.2 hours/week
Average time people spent
online in Jan. 2000: 13.2 hours/week
Net users at work spent
an average of 21 hours online, double the time of
at-home users. Users sessions were 41 hours for
workplace users vs. 18 hours for at-home users.
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Where
are the most websites originating from?
Here are the top 20
States that have registered business web addresses
with Network Solutions, Inc. The chart at the
right shows that the business climate in the
Northeast part of our nation is turning rapidly to
the use of the Internet.
While New York,
Pennsylvania and Connecticut fall in the top 20,
our own home state of Maryland comes
in at number 14!
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Who
is registering these domain names?
The Internet is not
just for large corporations, and the chart at the
right proves it. According to Network Solutions,
small businesses such as Attorneys and
Accountants, Real Estate Agents, Restaurants, Car
Dealers, Doctors and Dentists, and even Churches
fall into the top 20 Business markets that have
already registered a web address.
No matter how large
or small YOUR business is, the Internet is meant
to "level the playing field". That's
good news for small business owners, since YOUR
business can be on the top of the search engines
right next to the larger businesses. The search
engines don't know who you are or how large your
company is, and if your Web Developer designs your
site right, your site has a good chance of being
found among your largest competitors. For example,
Main Street Hardware can be right at the top of
the search engines, next to Home Depot!
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Today, it's no secret
that the web is here to stay and is the newest and most
efficient way to expand your market, run your business
easier, increase sales, and SAVE MONEY! In fact, the
Internet has made it possible to run a business solely
by computers and warehouses alone! Internet "Pure
Play" companies are businesses that sell their
products or services strictly online, without the
expense of running retail stores. The chart below shows
these "online" companies, and their
competition who operate actual stores you can walk into.
We're sure you can find an "online competitor"
on the web.
However, although these
companies are very popular, they are having problems and
are slowly disappearing. In fact, some "online
stores" in the chart below do not exist anymore, or
have been taken over by their "brick and
mortar" competitor. Most have yet to show a profit.
What does this mean for
the small business owner? It means that you have a
tremendous opportunity NOW to help and develop your
business. We'll never recommend abandoning your store to
go strictly "pure play", and we won't even
advise to stop your current print advertising. The
purpose and planning of your website should compliment
your business, and your site should be used as a tool to
not only develop your current goals, but to be used for
things as selling products faster, receiving payments
quicker, reducing expenses and payroll, eliminating
confusing paperwork, eliminating phone time, finding
employees, cutting mailing expenses and more.
To use the Internet to
your best advantage, we believe you should look at your
website as an investment with both
immediate and long term benefits, not as an expense. By
having clear goals and using technology to work for YOUR
business allows you have your website as a working
partner for your business. And by taking advantage of
the resources your web developer can offer you, your
website could become a profitable venture and an
investment you'll be glad you made!
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