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Motivated new and small business owners claw and scrape to get their businesses off the ground. However, online marketing decisions can often be challenging. Whether it is search engine optimization, custom or basic web site creation, online marketing campaigns or design, these costly and discretionary attributes can be overwhelming.

Are web sites necessary? Most people would instantly say, 'Absolutely.' While they are probably right in most cases, I do feel that there are exceptions to the rule. An amateur web site can negatively affect your company's competitive edge even more than not having a web site at all! With the identity theft, phishing, and pharming epidemics that currently plague the World Wide Web, customers only feel comfortable using sites that look and feel professionally implemented. This is especially true when it comes to purchasing services online.

I think it is most important to remember that if your firm is performing any sales initiatives, you name and company name should be prepared to be 'Googled' before most companies will even entertain your product and services.

'Googled' is a popular term that refers to someone searching your name through the Google search engine to see what comes up, and what is said about you. In many knowledge based service businesses it is important for you to share your knowledge within the community. If you are sharing information, it will be apparent when your company name is searched. A good example of this is posting on mailing lists or forums that help other industry professionals with problems. This is not a costly process, in fact, it is free. If free is your budget, this may be a good way to enhance general publicity.

If you are interested in creating a web site to help market your product, here are a few things to keep in mind:

' Keep it professional. If you are not a writer, make sure to hire someone who is. Grammar mistakes and awkward sentences will not be tolerated by prospective clients. Make sure that all content is to succinct and puts across the correct online persona for your organization.

' Budget accordingly. If you are not going to have a large budget, stick to content management systems that you can easily update on your own, and do not overly modify the templates that they provide. This will keep your cost low and the look of your web site basic, but professional. This works well for corporate web sites that are not used as an overt sales tool.

' If you are planning to have an online store, make sure it is professional looking, user friendly, and secure. Advanced Secure Sockets Layers (SSL Certificates) are necessary. Because and online store is its own business, these should be professionally done.

Search engine optimization (SEO) is another conundrum. Every company wants to show up on page one of a Google Search, however, SEO can range from $60 - $4000 a month. Although most would expect that this kind of heavy investment would allow instant success, do not expect that your sales will be based on search engine traffic just because you are paying $4000.00 a month for optimization.

Google and Yahoo index sites at their own discretion. While many search engine optimization professionals can get you onto page one for search strings that apply to your business, it will take some time to get there. There are multiple factors that go into this process. The best way I have heard it described is, 'your site has to be popular.' The 'cool' sites need to link to you. 'Cool' sites are sites with a great deal of traffic, and targeted content.

If you do not have a site that you think people would link to, don't worry. There are other ways to move forward. As I aforementioned, you can post in forums or publish articles on sites that discuss topics you are familiar with, and include your URL in the text. Another way forward is to include more text within your site that discusses your products and offerings. For example, if you sell apples, you can write a story about the history of the apple. This will probably include the word apple (your keyword) many more times, and will increase the amount of content on your site. This process really helps.

This can also be accomplished through the use of third party content. This can often be done through partnerships with other similar web sites. However, you cannot just take their content right off their site! Copyright laws require third parties to ask permission to reproduce content. This process can be easy, as many sites will allow third parties to repost the body of their article with proper a tribute (often a link to their site accompanied by a short blurb).

Overall, I think that the most important thing to keep in mind is that starting an online marketing campaign can't hurt. You are creating a way to generate leads, and alert prospective clients to your services and products that may have never known your organization existed. However, if you do get involved, be cautious about allocating funds. Consult with online marketing professionals, because there are numerous ways to increase your online presence if you have the time to invest in the process.

Lila Buchalski
Lila @TheBankCheck.com