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Richmond, Virginia - (Cheap Web Hosting Directory) - April 7, 2006 - In honor of National Small Business Week during April 9-15 this year, search engine optimization and marketing firm, NetBaldwin, LLC, is providing a list of tips to help startup and small business owners improve their use of the Internet.

Laurie Baldwin, CEO of NetBaldwin explained, ”These days it’s essential to have an Internet presence. However, just building a website and putting it ‘out there’ isn’t enough if you want to be successful.” Ms. Baldwin says whether your company is small or large, in order for the Internet to work for your organization, you have to make an effort. That means making sure customers or information-seekers can actually find your site, and that the site is up-to-date and usable when they get there. If those requirements aren’t met, the website may as well not exist.

Having amassed a great deal of information about the best and worst sites on the net, NetBaldwin has compiled the following list of ”Five Steps to Having a Successful Internet Presence.”

1) Update, update, and then update again. Making sure your website is updated regularly is important for a number of reasons. The first is that it will create repeat visitors by giving them a reason to come back. Additionally, search engines will check your site regularly, and if your pages are exactly the same, that can affect your search engine ranking negatively.

2) Join the blogosphere. Creating a web log, or blog, on your website, is a great idea. Not only does it help solve the problem of how to update your site, it can also help draw more people to your little corner of the web. Helpful content can help you gain return visitors. Plus, since nothing can match a blog for keyword count, it can also help your search engine standing!

3) Keep it simple. One of the biggest mistakes made by web novices is making the site too complicated. Adding animations and dynamic content like news and stock tickers can increase your page’s load time. Also, buy your own domain name and make it easy to remember. If a user has to wait too long or has a hard time finding you, he might take his business elsewhere.

4) Be responsive to your visitors. Just like a business owner who wants to be successful wouldn’t ignore a customer who visits his brick and mortar store, you shouldn’t ignore your online visitors. If you offer a ”contact us” page on your site, make sure someone is responding to the emails and phone calls that result.

5) Seek professional help. Doctors exist because not everyone has a medical degree. Similarly, not everyone has experience with websites. If you’re not an expert at building or optimizing your website, admit it to yourself and seek professional help.

NetBaldwin, founded in 2003, is based in Richmond, Virginia and offers Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) with clients such as Children’s Wear Digest, Lumber Liquidators, and Christian Children’s Fund. NetBaldwin was a finalist for Richmond’s 2005 and 2006 Emerging Technology Company of the Year award.

To learn more about NetBaldwin, please visit www.netbaldwin.com.

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