There is no doubt about it, it is a scary time for any business owner and their employees. Anyone can see when they take a walk down Watford High Street the number of empty shops. Currently the high street has 25 empty shops, all looking rather dismal and in some cases rather unattractively boarded up.



This has even spread into the Harlequin Shopping Centre. I can remember when it was a rarity to see any unit empty in the Harlequin, in fact businesses were queuing up to get their hands on such a prime location. Now as you walk down both floors you are greeted with an unprecedented number of empty units. With business rates on the constant increase and the economy on the decrease it has to be hard for any business.

Its not just the small businesses either that are disappearing, many large chain stores have been bitten by the crunch. It doesn't seem to shock anymore when you hear a well known established name in the press that have gone into receivership.

With that in mind it is no surprise that the number of people claiming Job Seekers Allowance in the Watford constituency has risen to its highest level since 1997. 2009 has already seen an increase of over 200 claims.

Sal Brinton, Watford Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate said "Small businesses are going to be vital to any recovery - they're the real engines of employment. More people have jobs in small companies than in medium-sized or large companies. It's essential that the Government don't forget small businesses in their recovery plan. The top priority is to get banks lending again: to small business as well as larger ones."

Business owners are facing the tough task of cutting budgets in all areas. Advertising is usually the first stop for a business to cut but of course this has a knock on effect to attracting potential new customers, something that every business needs to survive these desperate times. It is now imperative for businesses to gain as much exposure on the internet as possible. The patterns of consumer spending are changing everyday and are gearing around the Internet, the question therefore starts to become can businesses afford not to advertise online?

I know that many people I have spoken with have changed their shopping habits in recent months. It seems that customer loyalty is starting to become overlooked by the need to obtain the best deal. The internet has become an important tool to first seek out the best offer for them. It now also appears to be a prerequisite that customers wish to read information on the product or service they are seeking before leaving their home. This seems to give assurance and helps make the ultimate decision of who to give their business too. Obviously if you do not have decent exposure online, then these customers will be giving their business elsewhere. With this particular trend growing it is obviously key to have not only a presence on the internet but as much exposure as possible.