Article from Emarketer about how Small businesses are embracing the web in a big way and how having a web site has led to more new leads.
*80% of respondents said that their Web site generated leads for their business.
* 77% said they believed that a Web site helped to make them more competitive.
I would concur with this and know for a fact that every legal site I have worked on, that has used some kind of search engine optimization or directory listings, has resulted in more people coming to the sites, which then leads to new contacts and ultimately new business.
Yet just having a web site isn’t enough. It will make you more competitive, but the site isn’t going to generate leads on its own. You must have it optimized for the search engines or at least listed on the pay per click ads in order to get anyone to the site. Getting listed in the search and legal directories is also a good idea, as is starting a weblog or BLOG.