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Creating a professional online presence is a must for businesses these days. Many business professionals are wondering how they can be online without sacrificing personal privacy or appearing less than business or Internet savvy. The following strategies can help you feel more comfortable and make sure you build your online presence in a professional manner that will help get you clients, customers and business.

1. Use a professional photo of yourself and use it consistently on all of your online profiles. Using the same photo helps potential clients and the media recognize you. Using cropped or unprofessional photos can really hurt your image. If it was taken on your cell phone, it shouldn't be your profile picture. Also, use a picture of you, and not your logo on the accounts with your name on them. A photo of you makes you more approachable. If you have a company page or account, logos are fine, but make sure they are correctly sized and clear.

2. Use established social media sites. These include MerchantCircle, Facebook, Plaxo and LinkedIn. The idea behind using social media is for you to reachable and visible on the sites where your clients and customers already are. You might personally find an up and coming social media site to be great, but the majority of your potential customers are on the major social media sites and may not want to join you on a lesser known site. Don't forget the Yahoo! and Google local business directories which can help you show up to local searchers. Beware of the business directories that solicit your business wanting you to pay for your listing and promotion on their unknown site.

3. Sharpen up your resume and experience, and be consistent. If someone is looking for you on the Internet and gets three or four different versions of what you have been up to these past few years, they are not likely to call you or visit your establishment. Be honest and straightforward about your experience, awards, and purpose.

4. Tweet professionally. You may have a personal Twitter or other microblogging service where you keep up with friends and family. That's fine but make sure your personal tweets like the fact you had a miserable time at the company picnic to yourself. Keep a separate account for your professional updates and share information that is helpful to your readers, not just memes about how great you are. Share tips and advice that makes your readers' day better and they will return to you when they need your professional service.