Hostway's Free Webcast Offers Advice on How Small Businesses Can Leverage Search Engine Marketing to Drive Traffic to Their Web Site

May 10, 2006; 01:51 AM

One of the biggest challenges small businesses face is how to drive quality traffic to their Web sites. Most small business owners quickly realize simply launching a Web site does not guarantee people will find it amongst the sea of other sites. To help educate small businesses on these issues, Hostway Corp., a global leader in Web hosting and managed services, will hold a live Webinar on Tuesday, May 23, 2006, at 10:30 a.m./CDT.

This Webinar will explore the current and future trends in search engine marketing and present a few lost cost, highly effective options that business owners have to create an effective online marketing presence. Led by Hostway, it includes expert panelists from Google, the world's largest search engine and provider of targeted advertising programs; and Hostway, a leading provider of Web presence services for small businesses.

Attend the Web seminar, "How Search Engine Marketing can Boost Small Business' Revenue" on May 23, 2006 at 10:30 a.m./CDT to learn about:

-- Growth of local online advertising and how it affects small businesses

-- Your business is online, now how do you get noticed?

-- Importance of having a presence on search engines

-- A step-by-step guide on how to use SEM to drive traffic to your site

-- Common search marketing mistakes to avoid

"The simple fact is that search engines have become consumers' starting point for researching products and services. If small businesses don't have a presence on the major search engines, they're missing a great opportunity to connect with customers at the exact moment they are looking for what these small businesses sell," said John Lee, Vice President of Global Marketing and General Manager of Hostway. "The expert panelists for this Webinar will provide useful tips outlining how small businesses can effectively market their business online to ensure it doesn't get left behind."

To register for the May 23rd Web seminar, "How Search Engine Marketing can Boost Small Business' Revenue," please visit http://www.hostway.com/webinar/sem.html.

Kerrie Lenhart, Google Online Operations Product Specialist, and Sandra Liu, Associate Product Marketing Manager at Google, will discuss major trends shaping search engine marketing today and practical tips for small businesses.

Drew Mitchell, Marketing Services Manager at Hostway, will touch upon the growth in local online advertising and present a quick and easy option for marketing a business online.

"Nearly 1 billion searches were made for local businesses in 2005, with 45% of those searches made with the intent to purchase. Small businesses cannot afford to ignore these statistics, which is why Hostway offers a simple and affordable option that any sized business can use to create an effective online presence," said Mitchell.

About Hostway

Hostway Corporation provides Web hosting and managed services to more than 400,000 customers worldwide. Hostway helps individuals, small businesses and large enterprises achieve more value from state-of-the-art Web-based technologies by reducing their complexity and cost. Founded in 1998, Hostway is one of the five largest Web hosting companies in the world with offices in North America (Chicago, Tampa, Austin and Vancouver), Europe (London, Frankfurt, Hannover and Amsterdam) Asia (Seoul) and Australia (Sydney). For more information about Hostway Corporation, please visit www.hostway.com or call 1-888-290-5170.