Are you running a small business that needs to create an online presence? Maybe you own a freelance writer, an newsagency, or work as a auto repair shop from home? Whatever type of business you have, if you have been wondering in what way you can use the Internet to heighten your business profile and gain more customers, then read this article before you go out and spend money on a web design company to put together a site for you.

Although it may not be your core business, it’s worthwhile to educate yourself a little bit first before you invest any money. This article will give you a grip on the basics of web marketing before you hire someone to put together a website for you so that you are not flying blind. It will also coach you about a number of things you can do yourself, which you may take the option to do by yourself and save you the cost of hiring someone else.

Web 2.0 Websites

Another way to spread the word about your business without having to create a website, is to put together a free page on one of the many Web 2.0 content sites such as Hubpages and Squidoo. Here is an example Squidoo lens which is a review of Success University.

These are even more simple to get going than a blog as they require no technical know-how whatsoever, leaving you to focus on your content and saying what you want to say to your target audience. Pages on Web 2.0 sites also often appear towards the top of the search engine results, further boosting the means by which more people can find out about your business and what you have to offer.

Social Networking Websites

MySpace, Lincked In and Facebook are amongst the three most popular social networking websites. As with the Web 2.0 websites, social networking websites are also based on pre-defined templates and styles, removing the need to have any html knowledge and enabling you to save the money you might have otherwise spent on a web designer and invest that somewhere else.

A Word About Blogs

If you have the inclination to provide regular updates and news relating to your business, you could consider setting up a blog instead of a website. A blog works like a diary, and each entry has a date and time stamp. Here is a blog about finance as an example. See how each post is dated and note the optional Peel Off Ads in the top right hand corner. You don’t need to have any knowledge of html or programming to use a blog.

Once installed, you just login to a control panel interface, type what you want to say into an entry field, and click the publish button.

Blogs are also very easy to setup. Why not have a play and see if you can install one yourself. You can get very cheap cPanel webhosting these days starting from $4.95 per month. cPanel webhosting includes a feature called Fantastico, which enables you to setup a blog with a few clicks of a mouse. A good webhosting company should be able to assist you to setup your blog as well, even if you have very limited knowledge. After all, they want your business.

Search Engine Optimization

Having now installed either a blog, or setup a Social Networking or Web2.0 page, the next thing is to make sure that your page obtains a high profile in the search engine results, and therefore sending greater traffic and increasing the number of people who become aware of your business. This is where Search Engine Optimization, comes into play. Don’t be daunted. You can get a handle on SEO by taking a loan of a book from your local public library or investing a little time researching it online.

There are a whole host of free websites containing search engine optimization information, in addition to paid membership sites like Portal Feeder who will assign a mentor to you to assist you in your SEO knowledge and site creation endeavours. There are some really basic steps that you can take that will heighten the profile of your site and send visitors to it.