Small businesses are beginning to realize the importance of creating a website for their company. With over $200 Billion dollars being exchanged yearly, it is no wonder that so many industries are beginning to move their business online.

Websites help you to get new customers, and allow you to easily interact with the existing ones. Here are some of the ways that you can do this.

1) Create a Mailing List - You can create a mailing list which allows you to email your customers. You can add a form to your website which will be able to collect whatever information you like about your customers, such as: Email, address, phone number, name, etc.

The most common forms collect the customers email address, and name.

You can then email them, offering them discounts on items, or information about new products, etc.

This reminds your customers of your product, and can update them on some of your new products. This will help to increase the amount of repeat sales that you get.

You can also contact non-customers who join your mailing list.

The average person doesn't buy a product until at least the 7th time they see it. This means that they need to hear about a product 7 times before they actually buy it, no matter how good it is, or how cheap it is.

Chances are your customers will not buy your product the first time they view your website, creating a mailing list helps to remind your subscribers of your website, so that they will view it again. Eventually, if its a good product, and a descent price, and they need that product (or want it), they will buy it.

2) Testimonials - You can add testimonials of your product or service to your website.

Testimonials are a great way to tell others about your business. People might not trust you, however, people will trust other people that have used your product, and liked it. If you include a testimonial with the person's name, and ideally some form of contacting them, you will be able to build a lot more trust between you and your website viewers.

Testimonials show that others have liked your product, and they may also like it too.

3) Provide Freebies - Ironically the best way to make money online is to give away stuff for free.

People like getting free things, and will remember your site because of it. An example of a common freebie that you can give away is an ebook.

If you have a product related to dogs, you could try creating an ebook about training dogs, and then give it away for free.

You can give it away to everyone that joins your mailing list. This will help you to get more subscribers. You can then contact them offering your service or product. If your customers liked the ebook that you have given them, they will be a lot more likely to buy your product.

Another thing that you could give away for free is advice via email. You could give your subscribers one tip for 7 days. At the end of each email you would mention your product or service (the less obvious the advertisement the better).

7 days is the perfect amount of time to send the free tips. This is because:

a) It is a normal amount of time, it fits perfectly into a week.

b) It's not too much. If you send more than that, your subscribers may get annoyed with you, and unsubscribe from your mailing list.

c) As mentioned earlier it takes a customer 7 times to see a product before they buy it. This allows your subscribers to see your product 7 times, and thus there is a good chance that some of your subscribers will buy your product or service.

Websites make it much easier for small businesses to contact their customers, and make it much easier to get new customers.