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If you have a website online, you have a hosting account. As I've mentioned in previous articles, hosting is similar to paying "rent" on the Internet. In order to be visible, you'll need to be on a server.

I decided to write about hosting today when out walking this morning with a friend. We were discussing how many companies are still paying a hefty monthly price for hosting when it really isn't necessary.

Some companies went out and got their website in the early stages of the Internet. They were cutting edge by being up on the latest trend and getting involved early. However, since that time, they haven't updated their site, optimized it for the search engines or even looked at the numbers in quite a while.

If you fall into this category, you may be surprised to know that you don't have to pay $100.00 a month for your website hosting. You can get hosting for less than $10.00 a month for your small website.

In addition to hosting, if you are wondering whether or not your site is optimized for the search engines, try doing a Google search using your keywords for the products/services you are selling. Do you come up within the search engine results? If not, then you aren't optimized for search.

Another exercise you can try is to Google your company website (domain) name. Are you the first result? You should be - this is your business! Most likely if you aren't coming up, your site was built using the old methods and you really could have so much more visibility on the web and more success as a business owner if you were to opt for a site re-design.

I can't emphasize enough how important it is to continually update your site with fresh content. If you are stuck with your old hosting company/website design firm and they haven't contacted you to help your business grow - you are throwing your money away every month.

Steps you should take:

• Do some research and see how much companies are charging for domain name renewal (often times you are being over-charged), you can usually pick one up for around $12.00. The longer period you purchase the name for, it will be cheaper and it has a benefit for your SEO! Some algorithms rank your site higher if you have a longer registration of your domain name.

• Find out what hosting packages are going for these days. You can move your existing site to a new host for a nominal fee and start saving money right away!

• Learn as much as you can about SEO and then find a new website design firm that can help you with all of the elements you need. You don't want to get stuck in the same situation you are in now. Plunk down a few extra bucks to invest in a CMS so you'll be able to update your site yourself and keep your content fresh.

Remember, you don't have to pay a small fortune for hosting and the company that you are doing business with should pay attention to your needs and not just leave you out there floating in cyberspace without guidance.

Joanne Pele is the Vice President of Operations at Complete Business Systems. Complete Business Systems provides a ready-to-go branding package for your company, including website, logo, business cards and letterhead. Additional services include postcard design, databases, press release and web content writing. For more information, visit Complete Business Systems or call 800-479-9186.