Practical Suggestions

Getting your site to show up higher in search engine results can seem heart-stoppingly complicated, but don't despair.  There are a few practical steps you can take which should help.
 
Natural search results
Although search engine optimization is time-consuming, there is an easy way to do it one step removed: list yourself in directories which have high natural results.
 
Do a google search using the name of your business.  Do any of your business's directories show up on the first page of results?  If so, get yourself listed in those directories. 
 
It's not uncommon for these directories to charge a fee, but it's generally quite affordable ($100 - $200 per year)

"Sponsored" search results
You can immediately show up on the first page of search results for a given phrase if you want to advertise with a sponsored ad.
 
Typically done on a pay-per-click basis, advertising on search engines can be done directly with each search engine, through an agency who will do all the hard work for you, or through an aggregation service.
 
If you'd like to do it yourself, you can go directly to each search engine:
 
On the other hand, if you want to outsource it, an agency will do all the hard work of determining search words, setting up accounts with the various search engines, submitting your bids, monitoring and adjusting them daily so you can stay in your target position in the results.  Typically, an agency will charge either a flat rate to manage your listings or a percentage of your "ad spend."
 
Market Hardware offers all of the services mentioned above, including "guaranteed click" packages to best accommodate your budget. And our service includes monthly reports and a trackable toll-free number to help you evaluate your search engine marketing campaign.  If you want more information, get in touch with James
 
There are ad aggregation services which are more affordable but less customized.  Advertising.com offers this one: http://www.advertising.com/Adv_WebMkt.html
 
Online Yellow Page advertising
All major yellow page providers have online directories with pay-per-click advertising programs.  I would advise caution here as most Yellow Pages  vendors are used to charging exorbitant fees to small businesses.  However, we have customers who are getting great results with targeted Yellow Pages pay-per-click buys, so it may be worth a try.
 
You can check out some more practical online marketing suggestions in Market Hardware's Compass blog post Three Things to Get Online Leads this Week