Let's get real for a minute. Even though it's important to advertise your business and it would be terrific to get great search engine ranking the #1 way all businesses grow is through world of mouth referrals. A word of mouth referral is far more valuable than an advertisement because people get banner blindness and them out. So how can you use your website and online marketing efforts to get people talking about your business in a positive light? Here are 5 things you can do to generate the time of buzz that leads to a word of mouth referral.

1. Share testimonials.

When you've made a customer happy, don't keep it a secret. Share the positive experience with your employees, post it on your website, and make it a story that can be repeated over and over within your company.  That way when someone calls your company or finds you online they're reassured you're a real business, with real customers, and you actually make them happy.

2. Get someone to write a positive review and then share it.

Just like you want to share the positive experience your customers have had with your business you should also want to share anything someone says that's positive about your company on the web. You can give this process a boost by finding bloggers who review companies in your industry and asking them to review your product or service. Once they provide the review be sure to share it with your audience to reinforce the idea you're the right choice.

3. Get market influencers to endorse your you.

Similar to getting bloggers to write a review of your business, find market influencers to do the same. Market influencers are the customers other customers listen to for purchasing advice. You can find market influencers in places like Facebook and Twitter. They'll typically have a lot of followers, and will frequently engage in online conversations about specific topics.

4. Reward people who say positive things about your business online.

When you come across a positive review or positive comment about your product, service, or company be sure to respond with some recognition. This triggers other people who are reading the post to mention their positive experience. As the CEO of WebStarts I frequently look for posts our customers have made about their experience with our company. When I find them, I give them a shot out, and that's usually followed by a few other happy customers chiming in. At the end of the day you have to remember you're dealing with real people, and people want to feel good about what they're doing. It's your job to make people feel good for saying something positive about your business online.

5. Make it easy for people to find and share contact information.

If you look online you'll think a lot of businesses don't want to be contacted. They fail to share things like their phone number on the website, or they bury it so deep it's difficult to find. Try to keep your contact information front and center. Don't be afraid to post your phone number or email address where conversations are happening online. If you're worried about spam you can always setup a designated email to filter out the noise. By making your contact information handy you're increasing the chances someone will refer you.