These days, there is no excuse for businesses that do not have their own website. For those looking to take their first step into the online market, there are a number of mistakes that can and must be avoided.

Every business owner knows exactly what it is that they want their website to do. Some business owners want to use their website for lead generation or to sell online. Regardless of their needs, every business owner should write down their mission and, every time they need to make a decision about their website, refer back to that mission to decide whether or not the change will help or hinder it.

Once a business owner understands his or her website's mission, it will drive all other decisions. For example, having an animated introductory page may be on a website owner's wish list, but it may not be the best course of action for their mission.

Splash pages often annoy customers and should be avoided whenever possible. There are always exceptions, of course, but they are generally not a good idea.

Websites that are slow to load are also common, usually because the site is image-heavy.

Slow sites do not attract users. They turn them off and, as a result, they are more likely to close the window. Lots of images may suit some websites, but if you are looking for someone in the service industry, for example, you just want the contact details and you want the page to load fast.

While it may sound obvious, making sure that a business's contact details are easy to find is crucial.

Some people think having contact details makes them look cheap. In actuality, it makes a business appear more legitimate than a company that doesn't have their details there.

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In the 1990s, website design was in its infancy and no one really knew the difference between right and wrong. Instead, everyone simply used the coolest features they could find from reading their HTML books.

As a result, some of the most annoying and slow-loading websites were created. Thankfully, website design has changed for the better, but some websites still feature some of the most annoying features of a nineties website and, unfortunately, that is really bad for business.

One of the most annoying 1990s trends is the flashing .gif image, which is an epileptic fit-inducing image that flashes bright colors every other second for no apparent reason.

Some websites still have them all over, or have a big row of them. They were annoying, ridiculous and pointless then, and they still are now.

A hit counter is another dinosaur element that has no place in the modern design world either.

Hit counters offer insight into how many times the web page was loaded. They are easily manipulated and go up with every page refresh, making a website look more popular than it actually is. They are silly and can really make a website look very amateurish.

If a small business website features either of these elements, it may be time to consult a professional website designer.

Copyright 2010 dzine it, inc. Internet Marketing All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

When Google developed its 'Google Local' feature, now known as 'Google Places,' offering a subset of its listings devoted to local businesses, it opened up a whole new realm of marketing opportunities for small businesses that have an online presence. The service allows local business owners to verify their 'local listing' and enhance it with their logo, photos, comments, hours of operation and more.

Only the first seven results in Google Places are shown on a specific search and, since the service is free, there is ample opportunity to not only get listed, but to break into the top seven.

There are so many instances where small businesses are not taking advantage of this service and, as a result, there aren't even seven listings in certain local categories. This is best achieved through owner verification. By verifying the business and then filling in pertinent information, Google gives a business more weight in its local search listings.

More importantly, however, is the fact that there is now a rumor circulating throughout the industry, according to Crisafi, that Google is about to up the ante and sweeten the deal for small businesses that utilize Google Places.

Currently, Google Places listings appear with a map separated from traditional search results. Now, Google says that these listings will soon be included within the normal search results, sending a larger map to the right of the results page and bringing Google Places and organic results together.

Copyright 2010 dzine it, inc. website marketing All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.