There was a day when “hanging out your shingle” meant simply hanging up a sign to advertise your business. Over time, business advertising expanded to newspapers and magazines, radio and TV, and billboards and passing vehicles. Now, “hanging out your shingle” should definitely include an online presence.
There are many approaches to online advertising, but nothing builds credibility like having your own domain. Would it affect your impression of a company if they had a Facebook page, but not their own domain/website (e.g. joesgarage.com)? Would the quality of their website affect your attitude toward the company? Would it affect your opinion of that company if their email address was joesgarage@gmail.com rather than service@joesgarage.com (i.e. whether or not they used their own domain)?
For many consumers, it would.
To be taken seriously, a company today needs their own domain, an attractive and modern webpage, email addresses at that domain, and a presence on social media like Facebook, LinkedIn, and others. Some larger companies even have a full-time employee (or team of employees) dedicated to their web presence, keeping up their online appearances and responding to online requests.
The sky is the limit for what you can spend on online advertising, but the basics need not be expensive. A typical domain costs $2-$20/year. Webpage hosting starts around $5/month. There are ways to build your own website for free, or maybe you know someone who enjoys building them. Basic social media measures are free.
At this point, you should be asking yourself: If you’re not searchable in today’s online world, how are young folk going to find you?
To quote a great poet: “the times, they are a-changin’”