I have delicate tastes, so people often wear, do and say things that make me visibly cringe. Men in capri pants, big cringe. People older than 65 who start a story by saying what race the people in it are, gets me every time. And, more recently, I’ve been talking with business owners who say something that makes it hard for me to stay in the conversation: “We don’t really drive any business from our Web site, so it’s not something we put a lot of value on.”

Just typing that tickled my gag reflex. This kind of thinking is part of an overall problem with a segment of today’s small and middle market leaders that can be summed up in a common tone that says, ‘Look, I get that the inter-web is important for the Twittering and that Faceplace, but it doesn’t mean diddly to people over 40.’

Just because you’re not generating business from your Web site doesn’t mean you couldn’t.

In fact, it might mean you’re chasing business away. Whenever people tell me they aren’t interested in the Web because their industry is different or they don’t generate business there all I can think of is how their competitors are probably already doing it and slowly stealing that marketshare.

I don’t want that to happen to you, because you’re nice enough to read my blog. Here are four common talk tracks I have with businesses reluctant to do more with their web presence.

People are getting their first impression of you from the Google machine.

Traffic for most sites is more than 50 percent from search engines, and people are coming to you because Google tells them you might be what they’re looking for. And maybe you are. But if your site doesn’t help them do business with you, they’ll leave. Plain and simple. Google some keywords around which you’d want people to find your business and see what page, if any, of your site shows up. Are you there? Does Google push people to one of your plumbing pages – that is, ugly content-only pages that you don’t really want people to see first when they are looking for your company?

In today’s world, your site has become the front of your house. When I pull in your driveway am I seeing an un-mowed lawn and a porch hanging by a two-by-four or is there a nice entry way that encourages me to come in and meet you?

People are visiting your site or searching your name when you give them your card.
It’s an old tradition: Shake a hand, trade cards. The difference today? When I get your card I’m going to Google you and your company when I get back to the office. If I’m really interested I may go so far as to search for a LinkedIn profile or see if your company is out in the Twitterverse. But first and foremost I will type either your name or you company’s name directly into a search engine (yes, the search engine, even though your card has your direct URL on it). I see this all the time with our site. We do millions of pageviews per year, but every month my analytics are filled with hundreds of keyword searches that are clearly informational in nature, things like our CEO’s name followed by Smart Business. Because he’s a mover and a shaker, I’ve come to realize this search fluctuation goes up when he attends our networking events or speaks somewhere (and, I’m happy to say, that search result takes you to his bio page, which links to some of our best articles).

People are inventing businesses online that are stealing from your marketshare.
Forget for a moment about Facebook, the most glaring example of a billion dollar business that came from nowhere. One of my favorite time sucks on the Web is the humor blog group Cheezburger Network, which includes you-can’t-view-just-one-page sites like Fail Blog, I Can Has Cheezburger? and Graph Jam. If those sound ridiculous in nature, then you’ll be happy to know they’re reportedly doing $4 million a year in revenue. What’s really amazing is their sites are almost entirely comprised of content submitted by online users. That is: they are growing without paying for the cost of product. Meanwhile, the sites do more than 200 million visitors a month, meaning they are stealing eyeballs and attention from business ranging from newspaper comics to movie theaters. It’s not just that your competition is out there doing things online, it’s that by ignoring what’s possible on the Web you ignore businesses creating new markets and new revenue streams.

Along those same lines, companies that are doing business with you are thinking about doing business with more tech savvy people, I promise. Check out the universe of industry created by Apple’s gadgetry over the last decade.

Smart companies are ditching traditional sales methods and focusing on generating leads 24/7 on the Web.

Don’t believe me? Last year we did a story on a fast-growth business owner who does most of his marketing online. The best thing that smart companies have learned about their sites: For the cost of some Web development and hosting fees they get an employee that works around the clock at generating leads. The problem with this employee, like any employee, is that it might not have the right information to do its job. Does your site do anything that would make people do business with you? People are making connections and creating transactions online. From buying my last car to finding a new dentist, I now start all my contacts with companies online, and if all they have is a two-page site and an info@whatever e-mail, I’m instantly skeptical.

That's all.

Next time: 'I tweeted a meme I created about the piano kitty and it went Rick Roll viral.' Do you understand what the kids are saying when they talk about the online world?

Last time: Is there value in having employees waste time on Twitter and the Face place?

Mike Cottrill is the manager for online operations at Smart Business. His blog posts are based on common objections and questions business leaders have about adapting to social media and Web technology. You can follow him on Twitter @mrcottrill or connect with him on his LinkedIn page, mentioning this blog.