From the earliest cave drawings to the modern cinema, mankind has always been a visually driven animal. There is a reason a picture is worth a thousand words. We often remember a companies image even if we forget their slogan. A clever logo is sometimes easier to recognize than the name it represents. If advertising is the new religion, then graphic designers are it's clergy. Mugs, stickers, t-shirts, 20 foot posters... at some point it all came from a graphic designer.

Having an effective presence on the internet is essential to the survival of any business. Whether you need a simple site with your contact information or you need a fully functional e-commerce site, the fact remains, you need a web site. The internet is the most important invention of our time. No one uses phone books anymore.
So save a tree... buy a web site.