If that is a stupid question then now is the perfect time to get started. Get more customers for your small business by meeting customers online where they are already looking for you!

Small business owners, like you, need to understand that the Internet is rapidly replacing the traditional paper Yellow Pages. When customers need the products or services of a local small business they are conducting their search online in increasing frequency. An estimated 80% of consumers start their search for a local business online. When your potential customers are looking for you, do you want to be gathering dust under their sinks or right in front of their eyeballs and right at their fingertips. They will choose from the options on their screen and then call, click, or visit. Do you want those leads? If you are in the business of making money, of course you want them.

So, what do you do about it? You market your business where local customers are looking...and it's not the Yellow Pages. Want more bang for your virtual buck? Then become their only apparent option. What do I mean? If you dominate the front page of the search engines, you will appear to be your potential customers only (or best) option. It is important to dominate the first page because the first 5 listings on a search engine results page get a total of over 70% of the clicks (or visitors). That is incredibly powerful!

Do you have a website? Fantastic! You are quite possibly already ahead of your competition. You can promote your website and your local information all over the Internet to take what you already have online and potentially turn it into a flood of leads. No website? You should really consider getting one but you can absolutely harness the power of the Internet by plastering it with your local contact information to get more leads.

Are you ready to get those new customers? You need to consider how to promote your business. Internet searches are based on keywords and/or key phrases. You need to figure what yours are. Think about your potential customer and imagine what they are typing into the search engines to find you. Think about what you want them to be typing in. Consider what you would like to be known for. Perhaps you want to market your most profitable products or services. Those ideas are the basis for your keywords or phrases. Combine what you thought of with your local keyword (usually your city) and you've got a great start.

Next, you need to submit your information to Google Local and Yahoo Local. You need to submit your business information to business directories as well. Search engines pick up information from directories so this will help your business become more visible online. You may also want to post classified ads on websites like Cragislist. This will give your business additional exposure. You can also create an electronic coupon and post it online.

There really are endless ways to promote your business online. Optimally, you should take all of these actions and more. However, anything you do will help make your business more and more visible. Start your Internet marketing plan today. Dominate the search engines and get those leads before your competitors do!