Small businesses have begun to see the value in promoting themselves online, however, they don’t always maximize their online efforts. It is great that small businesses are now realizing that they need a website, but, if you ask them why they need one, they really don’t have the greatest of answers. It’s more of “everyone has one now” type of thing. Many are missing the power of online marketing.

It is just as important to market your website as it is to have one built. Some businesses don’t put their url on all of their marketing materials (business cards, etc.) and most don’t seek assistance in having their site optimized. To their defense, many do not have knowledge of internet marketing, its opportunities and how to maximize them.

We all know that a small business does not have the deep advertising budgets that larger corporations have, but there are a lot of inexpensive ways to promote online. For example, having your webmaster change the title tags to match some of your most profitable product or service niches. Another great way is to submit your site to as many search engines and online directories as possible. Many are free to submit to. It is also a good idea to make sure your business shows up on all the local sections of search engines and directories. What I mean by this is services like Google Maps, Google Base, Yahoo! Local Listings and online phone/yellow page directories to name a few. The more places you are, the greater chance you have that someone searching for a product of service you offer will find you.

Being a small business owner means wearing many hats and learning a little about as much as possible. I suggest small business owner’s research online marketing or talk to an experienced professional about some of the cost effective possibilities to maximize their online presence.