And that - how to get your website found on the Internet - is something every small business owner should at least a little about. Startups with very limited budgets can learn the basics by reading books about search engine optimization and search engine marketing. And if you're a startup or small business with very limited funds, you'll probably have to do a lot of the search engine optimization yourself – or tell your web designer what to do.

If your business is bigger and/or more profitable, then it pays for someone in your organization – either you or your staff – to learn a lot more about doing business on the Internet. And, the best way to get timely, authoritative information is to attend a major conference on the topic.

Over the years, I've attended several such conferences. One I've attended several times (and will be attending this year as well) is the Search Engine Strategies Conference in New York City. The conference, which is coming up later this month March 23-27) at the NYC Hilton, attracts thousands of people every year. There are sessions designed for a wide range of interests, business sizes and needs. You can check out the agenda here.