Are you totally overwhelmed with all the confusing information about marketing your business online? Do you want to advertise smarter and not lose your shirt? Marketing your business online can be a daunting prospect if you don't have the tools to work the system in your favor.

I am not going to promise to show you easy strategies to making millions on the internet. If you are a regular reader of marketing articles, you have probably learned by now that what they mean by 'easy' is either spam or unethical ways to make some money online. What I am going to show you is the best way to spend your advertising money and how not to get scammed. I am going to show you how to do the work yourself and put your advertising dollars to work doing what they should be doing, advertising your business, not lining the pockets of others making promises they never intended to keep.

Having a good marketing plan can not only build your business in a solid predictable way, but it can save you hours of struggling and thousands of dollars in lost revenue and poorly spent advertising dollars. Ask any professional marketing expert. The most important way to keep more of your profit where it belongs, in your pocket, is to start with a solid marketing plan. Solid does not mean complicated. Set some goals. Daily, weekly, monthly and yearly goals will help you to keep your focus on whats important for your business. This can simply be a journal with some lists, you can make it as simple or as complicated as you like. I suggest keeping it simple. Use the K.I.S.S. method and keep it realistic. How much money do you have to spend on advertising? Write it down and stick to it.

Google adwords and adsense are an invaluable advertising tool. Google has rapidly taken over the online search engine world. You simply cannot run an online or a brick and morter business without considering using Google as an advertising tool. Google adwords can bring traffic to your site overnight. It can also drain your bank account if you do not take the time to learn how keywords work. Take some time to use the Google search, research what words are being used to search for what you are selling. What businesses are using Google and how they write their ads. Google is an invaluable tool not only for advertising but for reasearch as well. Take the time to read everything in the FAQ at Google, don't just throw money at it and expect great business to mysteriously come your way. It takes time and research, if you take the time to understand how Google works, it can take your business to the next level.

Yahoo advertising can be as much of a drain on your funds if you are not careful. The system works a little differently than Google does. With Google you pay as you go whereas with Yahoo you have to pay them up front. You still pay per click with both systems depending on what you bid per keyword and this means that the research you do for Google can be extremely helpful when putting together ads for Yahoo. Keywords are the key so to speak. Understanding how the public searches for what you offer and using keywords effectively will keep your advertising dollars in check.

This brings us to link exchanges and search engine rankings. I put these two together because they feed off eachother. The more places your site is linked to, the more the search engines see it. In the case of search engines that use spider bots, this means higher rankings as they crawl your site more often. You may have heard the term 'content is king' the best way to be sure your content is relevant is to use the keywords you have chosen from all your research for Google and Yahoo. Choose 4 or 5 keywords that are the most relevant to your site and use them all over the page. Do not simply list them repeatedly as good spider bots recognize this as an attempt to fool them, and they will work against you. Rather, use them within the content. Writing good content is not difficult, make it personal. Open up the doors for your readers so they feel welcome as though they are invited guests into your home. This is when it is time to do more research. Find other sites that are relevant to yours. Not necessarily the same products but similar or complimentary and ask to exchange links with them. Start a blog and write about your site and others, linking from your blog and getting links from other blogs. Do not be taken in by companies offering to get you linked to every site on the internet. You can do this yourself with a little effort.

I have shared with you some important lessons in the world of online marketing. We have learned that Google is probably one of the most valuable tools you can have, it can also be a huge drain on your budget if you do not do your research. I have shared with you how to research effectively and use keywords strategically. I have also discussed with you how to work link exchanges without hiring someone who is merely going to do the same thing you can do for yourself, or do nothing at all but drop your money into their bank account. Internet marketing is not a big mystery. It takes patience and research. Anything worth doing is worth doing right.