Your probably thinking about a variety of reasons to go to the web for your business. With those businesses that I have worked with I have heard a variety of reasons. These reasons are true for many of you - I choose to be the best in the business and want to be cutting edge; my competitors are on the Internet and I need to keep up with them; It's the next logical step to stay alive in today's marketplace; the demographics of my location have changed where I can no longer compete as before; I am competing against a larger business who has moved into the area.

Every business tries to be competitive into today's market. With the change in recent years of the Internet, our global commerce is starting to change. Everywhere you look today on TV, billboards, radio, newspaper everyone is advertising their "dot.com" to attract you to their virtual business. Traditional methods of marketing products and services using different advertising techniques are still effective. Those who have access to the Internet, which continues to increase each day, are using this tool for buying and selling millions of products and services each day.

No matter what your motivation it is important to understand what the technology can and can't do for your business. This will require some preliminary research about your situation. If you are new to the Internet or not on the Internet the first step is to get signed up with a Internet Service Provider and start using e-mail and the World Wide Web. You need to get a good understanding of the technology during the same time you start to think about incorporating your existing marketing plan for the Internet. Depending on your business arrangement, that is if you designated your employees or hired an e-business consultant, you are allowing someone else to take charge of your Internet business plans. As a business manager make sure that you understand what they are telling you during the process. Get an understanding of acronyms being used to implications to the future of your entire business.

This includes finding out about current competitors on the Internet. Where are they geographically located? What services and products do they offer and at what price? As you check out business web sites what features do you see that you like or dislike? What attracts you to a particular web site?

It is also important to have a thought out Internet Business Plan that accompanies your that is a part of your existing Business Plan.