Two out of three "business leaders" believe that business Web sites influence overall sales, both on- and off-line, according to Interland's Spring 2005 Business Barometer survey. For the survey, the
online services provider for small- to medium-sized enterprises surveyed 1,032 leaders of small and medium-sized businesses. Ninety-four percent say their businesses have Internet access, and seven
out of 10 cite e-mail as "very or somewhat" critical to their business, Interland reported. Forty-four percent of those with Web sites said they generated from 1 to 25 percent of their 2004 revenues
through online purchases or offline purchases that were influenced by their Web site, according to Interland. Additionally, nearly a quarter said that 26 to 100 percent of their revenue was
attributable to having a Web site. The report showed that of the 24 percent of those businesses surveyed that are actively using e-commerce features--online payment transactions, online business
forms, or e-mail requests--to sell through their Web site, 87 percent are receiving monthly revenue from their Web site.
-- Gavin O'Malley
