Step 4. Exchange banner ads with friends and with other companies that you do business with. Banner ads are those eye-catching designs at top and bottom of Web pages. They’re like billboards of Internet superhighway. But with these online billboards, a simple click transports Web surfer directly to your Web site.

Step 5. Exchange Web links with friends and business associates. This, Webmasters and site owners, could be most important way to drive Web traffic to your site. All of major search engines rank sites by measuring how many links come to and leave from your Web site.

So links are a way to measure how worthwhile and how legitimate your site is. The better this measurement, better chance your site will have to show up well in Web surfers’ searches. In other words, these links could be difference between your site being listed on page 20 of a Google search results, or on page 1.

Building better Web links and search engine results—that’s where classified sites come into play. Some of most savvy classified sites on market now offer Web links in their ads. These links lead right to your business’ home page.

Not only are these links convenient one-click ways for more customers to reach your site. They also boost your search engine rankings.

Of course, for business owners, classified sites have so many other benefits, too.

•Unparalleled exposure. Classified sites are like online malls. Not only will you get exposure from shoppers coming specifically to find your goods. You get “spill over” attention from shoppers who came for another item but then start browsing through all of other ads in classified “mall.” •A new arsenal of Web sites. Having online classified ads is like setting up multiple new Web sites across Internet. Unlike your own original site, these classified ads come with low-cost IT support, security, and advertising. •Incredible growth opportunities. Businesses and individuals selling on online classified sites pull in more than $1.95 billion a year, according to statistics firm Kelsey Group. That figure does not even include money from eBay. •Money for nothing. As valuable as classified sites are, many of best ones charge very little or absolutely nothing to set up your ads.

Add up all of these numbers—250 million active Web surfers in world, $1.95 billion in classified sales, and $0 cost—and your Web business is sure to come out in positive.