Many small businesses have been lured onto the internet by the promise of more and global business.

Now, a couple of years after the big internet boom, many people are badly disappointed and have dismissed the internet as "just another citizens' band radio" that promised everything and delivered nothing.

Quite simply, the web was grossly misunderstood in the early days. Instead of providing a solution, it created a lot more questions that are really difficult to identify and even harder to answer.

This was not helped by the mass of web design companies who parted millions of people from their money with spurious promises and then delivered shoddy products and services that simply did not work.

The important thing to recognise is that few people understood the web in the early days. There had never been anything like it, so there were no precedents.

Nobody knew what would work and what would not, so it should be no surprise that many people got it wrong.

Now we have moved on a long way. We understand web sites can produce interest in a product or service but we also understand that the web is not a solution in itself.

The idea the web can provide more business is quite true, but not always through e-commerce and web sales. Often, the web is only going to work for a company if they recognise that it is a shop window and can be used to raise their profile.

Experience tells us a company offering really high-class goods or services is unlikely to attract much in the way of direct e-commerce. Perhaps because their products or services are too good or too expensive for the internet buyer.

An art dealer is unlikely to sell many old masters over the internet because the average internet buyer is seeking low-cost, low-risk instant gratification. A person selling low-cost or second-hand items can expect a far higher return for their money.

Conversely, a person advertising a cheap cafe on the internet will probably not lure as many paying clients as a web site for a top London restaurant.

The average client does not value the cheap cafe experience as highly as the prestigious London venue and will not spend precious time and money getting to the cheaper eating-house.

So we finally have some clarification. The internet works rather well for most high-class venues, but not for all high-class goods. It works extremely well for low-cost or second-hand goods and generally fails miserably for low-end venues or services.

Careful strategy is required to make the most of the web.

"Many people are so impressed by the idea of the internet that they rush out and develop a web site but don't bother with a web strategy," said Sussex designer Tim Croft of TIC Design in Partridge Green.

"This is rather like having a brand new car but no petrol and it will work about as well. The only way to be sure your web site will do what you want is to understand how the internet works and to talk to a clued-up web designer."

Tim Croft can be contacted on 01403 711125.