Using Google AdWords, you can buy text, image (banner), and video ads on search engines, websites around the world, and mobile phones. You can also get local business ads on Google Maps that target customers within X miles of your location. Google even offers a limited service for traditional advertising mediums like print, radio, and television.

Check out our series of articles for maximizing your experience with AdWords. We call it...

Google AdWords 101 (table of contents):

1. Overview of AdWords
2. Keyword Campaigns
3. Placing ads on specific sites in the Google Content Network
4. Ad Formats for the Google Content Network
5. Locally Targeted Ads
6. Print (newspapers, magazines), Radio, and Television Ads

For help getting more eyeballs, check out our Online Marketing, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and Buying Online Advertising sections.

The Web host selection process is similar in many ways to how one might choose a spouse. You're looking for a trusted, reliable partner in both cases. And both require a little legwork to get just right.

They also share the same 5 basic steps:

1. Know what you want/need.
2. Get trusted recommendations.
3. Look for exceptional qualities.
4. Get to know them well.
5. Don't be afraid to move on to the next candidate.

Check out this article to see how to apply these 5 steps to choosing your perfect Web host.

By the way, if what you need is $10-per-month hosting, you'll be interested in this list of cheap but reliable Web hosts. (Please refrain from any $10-per-month spouse jokes. That's too easy.)

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Google AdWords is the popular advertising program from the search giant. AdWords gives you the ability to buy online advertising on the world's most popular search engine and on websites across the Google Content Network.

Search ads are also called "sponsored search results", and appear above and to the right of Google's search results. (see screenshot image below)

Search ads are effective because search users have a specific need, and are often looking for a solution to a problem. If your business offers that solution, having the ability to get your message in front of search users -- at the exact moment when they need it -- is a powerful marketing strategy for any business.

To get your business or website in front of highly motivated users (read: pre-qualified potential customers), read this step-by-step primer on Using Google AdWords to Buy Keyword Targeted Search Advertising .

eBay is the world's largest marketplace. There are 14 million listings of stuff for sale on eBay. With that much data to sort through, search becomes the most useful way to find something.

Mastering the search box will make more money for you -- whether you're a seller or a buyer.

As a buyer, you can save money by finding the super-bargains no one else can find. With more tools in your search toolbox, you can cast a wider net than your fellow buyers. By going beyond the easy pickings, you can find listings that have fewer competing bidders, which usually means a lower sale price.

For sellers, search mastery has two positive effects:

1. More effective market research. If you can't find your competition, how will you know how to price your item?
   
   
2. Better listing titles and descriptions. By understanding how buyers search, you can create more descriptive (and more effective) listings.

Whether you're a buyer or seller on eBay, searching effectively puts more cash in your pocket. To learn how to search like a pro, check out these 8 Tips for Mastering eBay Search.

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Geo-targeting means having the ability to target a marketing or advertising campaign at a limited set of visitors based on their physical location. Advertising programs that support geo-targeting allow you to control where your ads are displayed based on parameters like country, state, city, or even within X miles of a postal address.

Geo-targeting is useful when your online presence is used to promote an offline business. If you want to drive foot traffic to your brick & mortar store, you can limit your campaign to only be shown to people who are within 40 miles of your shop using geo-targeting. Google AdWords will even integrate your locally targeted ads into the Google Maps service, making it even easier for your customers to find you.

Another use for geo-targeting is to show different versions of an ad to different audiences. For example, a California based vendor could promote their affordable shipping rates in the east coast geo-targeted campaign, while emphasizing the fast shipping time in the west coast campaign.

When shopping for an online advertising service, make sure that your final choice supports geo-targeting so you can get the most out of your marketing budget. Most large advertising networks, including the following three, support geo-targeting:

• Google AdWords
• Yahoo Search Marketing
• Microsoft adCenter

For more definitions check out our Glossary of Online Business Terms.

Wrike is an innovative Web-based project and task management tool that is affordable, easy to use, and structured well for small Web teams. I recently wrote a post comparing Wrike to Basecamp, the best-in-breed project management tool for Web designers.

There are 3 things that Wrike does differently from Basecamp that is especially appealing to Web workers who are not Web designers:

1. Wrike charges per user, not per project. This lets you create hundreds of projects (or groupings of tasks) while only paying $3.99 per person per month.
   
   
2. Wrike has two-way email integration. Not only does it send you reminders and a daily todo list, you can create new tasks via email! This is my favorite feature because it's so convenient.
   
   
3. Wrike is still being actively developed. This is good and bad news. The developers are definitely listening to their users, and I see exciting and useful new features being released on a near-monthly pace. On the other hand, it's not "finished" and may be a bit rough around the edges.

Click here to read my full review at Life Remix. (Life Remix is a network of personal productivity blogs. Click around the site. There are some really good blogs there.)

Stickiness is a term to describe a website's effect on first time visitors. A website that is "sticky" has visitors that stay for a long time and return often.

Websites or content that is sticky:

1. Regularly updated content, like news websites or high volume blogs.
   
   
2. Reference resource, like step-by-step tutorials that visitors repeatedly refer to.
   
   
3. Interactive communities, like forums and social websites (eg., Yelp!, Digg).

The stickier your website, the easier it is to grow your subscribers or customer base. You don't want potential customers to be turned off by your website the first time they see it. You want them to explore the site, buy something (or subscribe, if you're writing a blog), and come back often.

To maximize your site's stickiness, keep these 3 tips in mind:

1. Write useful content. People are busy and will only "indulge" you if your website is insanely useful to them. Be useful -- whether you're blogging or selling widgets -- and people will flock to you.
   
   
2. Empower your visitors. Let them add something to your site, and they will be that much more invested in your business. For example, if you sell widgets via an ecommerce store, write a blog so your customers can comment and interact with you.
   
   
3. Ask them to commit. Have a newsletter signup or ask them to subscribe to your feed. Ask your visitors to take action and some of them will.

If you're wondering about your own site's stickiness, ask yourself these questions:

1. Why should I bookmark this site?
   
   
2. Why should I visit this site again?
   
   
3. Why should I recommend this site to my friends?

For more tips and advice on maximizing your website's stickiness, visit us often or make it easy on yourself by subscribing to our feed.

Web hosting doesn't have to be expensive to be reliable.

These low cost Web hosting providers are good options for business websites with less than 10,000 visitors per month. If you get more than that, start thinking about mid-level hosting options that cost between $20 - $50.

Basics that we expect for less than $10:

• Unlimited MySQL databases
• Unlimited domains / websites
• Unlimited or high bandwidth limits (more than 100 Gb per month)
• Decent space -- more than 10 Gb
• Lots of email addresses -- more than 100

This list of 7 Web Hosting Packages for Under $10 Per Month is sorted in the order I would recommend to a small business just getting started online.

MFP stands for Multi-Function Printer. These are the all-in-one machines that print, fax, copy, and scan documents.

As much as we want to go completely paperless for minimum clutter, in the course of doing business, we inevitably need to print, fax, copy or scan some paper. Unfortunately, buying home office hardware can quickly bust your startup budget. That's where MFPs come into play.

MFPs are useful for home offices because they:

1. take up less space versus several single-purpose machines, and
2. are cheaper than buying each function separately.

If you're gearing up your home office, you may want to check out these affordable multi-function laser printers that fax, copy, and scan.  (The prices are for trusted, featured merchants.  There may be lower prices from smaller vendors.)

• HP LaserJet 3050 -- from $199
• Brother MFC-7820N -- from $236
• Canon imageCLASS MF4150 -- from $195

For more tips on getting a handle on the day-to-day operations of your Web business, check out our Daily Operations section.  You'll find articles like:

• Step-by-Step Guide to Finding Your Ideal Web Designer
• Top 10 Places to Find a Freelance Web Designer
• Top Website Monitoring Services

Vallewag, a Silicon Valley news blog, has a concise summary of the best practices for writing a company blog.

How to write for your company's blog

Some highlights:

• It's not about you, it's about your products. Talk about your products.
• Be useful -- focus on facts, not opinions.
• Keep it short. 1-3 paragraphs (100-300 words). Two short posts are better than one long one.
• Write daily. Publish it before noon.

For more info on hitting your blogging goals, check out our Blogging category.