According to industry experts, in the past years, hard-bound Yellow Pages usage by consumers has dropped each year, while search engine usage has grown 55% from 2004 to 2005 alone. Each day, businesses see the advantages of having a website as they recognize that more and more customers are hitting the internet on a daily basis.

What's that mean for you? In a nutshell, if you're still relying solely on the Yellow Pages to attract new customers, you're losing out on business. Now, that's not to say you should cancel your advertising today! No, not at all; the Yellow Pages has it's place and if it's been working for you, then keep at it.

But, as an additional advertising method, you must get online now. And here are seven reasons why:

You have more space. Unless you have a huge advertising budget, it's most likely your Yellow Page ad is small, maybe just a few precious lines. With a web site, you have as many pages as you need to sell your products or services.

More measurable traffic. Do you know how many new customers you received from your Yellow Pages ad yesterday, last week, last year? Probably not. With a web site, you can monitor your traffic daily, so you know exactly how many visitors reached your site.

Build loyalty...before a customer ever meets you. Create ways to interact with potential clients, building their trust in you, by developing newsletter, offering coupons, or helpful free advice. Can you do that with your Yellow Pages ad?

Advantage over the competition. Everyone takes a Yellow Pages ad. And unless your business starts with "AAAA" or you have unlimited funds for huge one-page ads, your business can get easily lost in the shuffle. With a properly done web site, you can get to the top of the search engine rankings, regardless of your name or budget.

Open new markets. The internet is a global marketplace, reaching visitors from all over the world. How far does your Yellow Pages ad reach?

Create new revenue streams. You may discover new ways to market your products or services to clients around the world, allowing more ways to make money.

Cost. Quite simply, the cost of a domain name and hosting are a fraction of what a Yellow Pages ad costs, yet it serves you and your business 24 hours a day, seven days a week and has the potential to reach billions of people.

Do you understand now how a small business web site can generate new clients or customers for you, beyond your

expectations?

If not, maybe this true story will convince you. A dentist practicing in a mid-size California city wanted to build his business. Let's call him Dr. B. He tried everything to reach his community: newspaper ads, Yellow Pages, coupons, and mailers. But none generated the leads Dr. B wanted.

Then he built a web site. In the first month, his web site received a measly 26 visitors. However, within nine months, that same web site was averaging 1800 unique visitors a month, with 22 of those becoming new patients! Fast forward three years and Dr. B's small business web site generates 25 new patients a month for him, some coming from as much as 120 miles away. That is the power of web site.

So why isn't your small business on the internet yet?