Over 85% of people contact businesses they find in local searches. That's why 100% of businesses need to be online! Your local business has many options, to remain current online such as a website, business facebook page, social networks, videos, blogs, online ads, etc.  Even for businesses with a limited marketing budget, there are ways to promote your business online. Here are 10 free ways to promote your business online:

1. Google Local: Create an account... Enter your company name, address, phone number and website. Verify the information with a postacard or telephone call. In a few weeks you get a map listing for your company name or industry and town.
   
2. Google Coupons: Coupons are a great way to bring new customers into your business or remind old customers that you’re still around. Google has a free coupon tool that puts your coupon on relevant local searches.
   
3. Yahoo Local: Yahoo local is a directory organized by category and geographic location. You can get a basic listing in Yahoo Local for free. People searching for your business or industry can find your listing.
   
4. YellowPages.com: Yellow Pages have a strong brand name and recognition, and are still used by many people today. They offer a few levels of listings the most basic is free.
   
5. Press Releases: Doing something newsworthy? You can always submit a press release to PRWeb or PRLeap.com. Be sure to check out their tips like 25 Action Words for Writing a Newsworthy Headline and Why Localizing a Press Release to a ZIP Code and City Matters.
   
6. Free Blog Promotion Tools: Does your company have a website or are you thinking of adding one? Websites like Technorati.com and mybloglog.com can help you gain exposure, visitors, readers, and subscribers to your blog.
   
7. Free Directory Advertising: It doesn’t get any easier than trying free advertising. Go to BOTW.org and sign up for a free 60 day advertising listing.
8. LinkedIn: Join LinkedIn and get connected with people you know and make connections with people you don’t through introductions. Look at the new Questions and Answers section and try and be genuinely helpful. Follow the axiom of ‘Givers Gain’ and you may generate a few leads for yourself from your goodwill.
   
9. Email Signatures: Be sure to add your URL to all of your outgoing email. Try adding your mission statement, network links, or a catchy phrase to help people understand what you do. Change it a several times a year so people notice it again.
   
10. Syndicate Your Content and Ideas: Take advantage of article distribution Services like EZineArticles, ISnare, and IdeaMarketers to spread your message and approach. Use them to bring leads to your site by offering things like free ebooks or PDF’s that they can download after entering their contact information.

You've been in business a long time and you've had a lot of press releases written over the years. So you know what it takes to capture the attention of the press and get your business in the limelight. But what if you're making your move online and you want to publish press releases on your website or distribute them to press agencies over the Internet. Should they be re-written?

This is a tricky question because in the end a press release is a press release. It serves one purpose. You are trying to win the attention of news editors in order to get them to write a story about you. Is there a different strategy for online press releases?

Yes and no.

You'd write the press release for online distribution pretty much the same way you'd write it for off line distribution except for one big difference. It's called SEO. Search engine optimization.

Your press release will get a lot more attention if it is written as much for the search engine audience as it is for the news audience. That means you want it to rank well for specific key phrases that people (news professionals) will search for. 

Also, you must realize that your press releases published online have the potential to be read by members of the general public so you really have three audiences: 1) Search engines; 2) News professionals; 3) The general public. As long as you address the needs of your three audiences, your press releases will do their jobs well.