Today's guest post is from Allisyn Deyo, Webmaster and Editor for Pinnacle Publishing Group.

You're a small business owner. You know you need a website, but honestly, it's an expense you aren't looking to have right now and so you keep putting it off.

Well we're here to tell you: STOP! Stop putting it off. Get yourself a web presence now, and I guarantee you will thank us later.

Here's why:

A website connotes success. Seriously, it does. You've created a brand, so expand it online, send out email newsletters… let people know you're here to stay.

It helps people find you. Where's the first place you look for information? If you answered the Internet, you're like more than half the country (particularly if you're under 30). A simple, five page website with about information, location information, a map, a contact form and upcoming events is easy to do and will let people know you mean business.

It gets you email addresses. Perhaps you get the email addresses of your customers in hard copy, but do you use them? A simple website will allow you to collect more and then to use those email addresses to send out coupons, flyers and announcements… for free.

It's cheap! A small website costs virtually nothing and can exist forever, without changes. Want changes? Find a designer who will modify a Wordpress blog into an easily manageable (read: no coding or web expertise needed) website, attach a plugin or two (for an email newsletter, perhaps?) and you're off to the races. You can make all the content updates, change pictures, send out emails, etc., all from a browser window without knowing a thing about coding or programming.

Longevity. Eventually you're probably going to want to sell online, or maybe even retire and just have a few things you sell, without worrying about shop overhead. A website that's been around for a few years has higher SEO (search engine optimization.. or, how people find you online) than one that popped up yesterday, and you'll have a better idea of how it works… no worries about learning something new right away.

I recently built-out a website for a restaurant. They gave me a design and using Wordpress, I turned that into a twenty-five page website. It contained a small Flash component, an email capture form (with a plugin for a newsletter in the backend) and pages they can modify when prices and food changes. They can even take new photos and have them become part of the Flash component!

How much? $700, and until they decide to completely redesign, they'll never need to pay someone for maintenance, as they can make all the changes themselves.