Today, having a website for a small business is a must. Why? Because Yellow Pages phone books are over. Everybody is looking on the internet for the most current information. And, of course, that's where your customers are - on the internet. Smart phones, Blackberries, iPhones, netbooks, laptops - are all connected to the internet. And that's where you should be if you are a small business. People want current information. A telephone book that is updated once a year does not cut it anymore. And if your customers are younger, you simply cannot afford to stay away from the internet.

My clients often say, that they do not even know where to start. The most obvious starting point is get yourself on Google maps. It is free! Go to Google Local Business Center and click "Add new business" button. Fill out a form, add a picture of your business and - vuala! - you are on the internet.

Google will call you on your business line you submitted or will send you a post card to your business address (your choice) to verify your information. You will get a 4 digit pin number to access your business information at any time and modify it. When your search for your business by name and location on Google, your business will appear in business listings below the first 3 search results.

How long did it take? 10 minutes, I bet. But the benefits are exceptional.

• Your business name will appear in searches and new clients will learn you exist
• Your existing clients will be able to quickly find you if they misplaced your contact information
• All your customers can write reviews about your business

Oh, yes - reviews. It is quite likely, that your business was on the internet without your knowledge. Your customers might have left reviews about their experience on Google Maps, Yelp, Insider Pages, Yahoo Local, etc. But now you have a place to direct your clients to leave reviews - your Google Maps business listing. And the same question comes up again - why should you?

You have been in business for some time now. You are used to compete in real world. The rules of the game are not much different in the virtual world - it is all about popularity. The more reviews you have, the higher you rank in searches and search engines. And you really want to rank high in search engines - trust me.

In summary, at absolute minimum, you need to add your business listing to Google maps and ask your customers to leave reviews about your business there. Not all of them will, but the ones who do write something positive will benefit you tremendously.

Here are a couple of additional tips.

Do not worry about bad reviews. They will be off-set with positive posts. User-generated content is very dynamic; it ebbs and flows. Nothing you can do about it. If a site offers an opportunity for a business owner to reply to a review, you can always post a professional response. But never engage in name-calling and accusations: it makes you look like a crazy person and does not reflect well on your business. Experienced internet user will be able to read all reviews and form their own opinion on what is a lie and what is the truth. Focus on providing great service to your customers so they leave more positive reviews.

You might also consider subscription-based customer review sites, like Angie's List. You cannot subscribe as a business, but if your customers are subscribers, they can post a review about your business. If you are a new addition to the list, an Angie's List representative will call you to inform you that you have been reviewed with them. They will tell you how to log into the site and see what your customers are saying about you. Angie's List has a good conflict resolution policy. For more information visit their website.

In my next post, I will explain, why a small business should have their own website.