The past month delivered numerous conversations about online marketing options. From GroupOn to CitySearch, there seem to be a lot of promises ... but not a lot of delivery. The former claims to drive traffic through local doorways, yet as of late, has been promoting many online-only offers.

The latter promises strong click-throughs from its site to yours, yet rarely do the numbers pan out. Then there’s the plethora of industry organizations approaching you with assurances of business growth and search engine visibility if you participate in their programs. So how do you sort fact from fiction when it comes to navigating the Web? Here are a few Internet realities you need to be aware of, from someone who isn’t asking you for money:

Analytics are periodic report cards. With them, you know whether or not your website has an audience; without them, you might as well be sitting in a broom closet. Think of them as the online equivalent of searching your POS report at the end of the day for what worked and what didn’t. There are lots of options, but Google Analytics remains my service of choice — free, easy to use, delivering a boatload of info no business owner should be without. Log into your Google account, click on My Account > Google Account Settings in the top right corner, then scroll down to the Try Something New section.

When companies like CitySearch and The Knot, or trade organizations and consumer referral sites, promise they’ll drive traffic to your home page, they owe you proof that they’re delivering the goods. Instead of caving in for a discounted six month contract or one year membership, agree to only sixty days — sufficient time to test their promise. At the end of that period, insist on seeing analytic reports that prove you’re getting what you paid for; don’t take the word of a sales rep looking to snag a commission. Compare their analytic reports to your own. If both don’t show a significant increase in traffic (or worse, don’t sync with each other), jump ship. Remember to confirm you have the option to cancel the contract without additional penalty or fees before signing a thing.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is an art ... and a moving target. Sites like Google and Bing constantly change their algorithms to assure no one can corner the front page, which means no one can deliver on a promise to land you there with consistency. A savvy site designer will know how to make your online home as search-friendly as possible. If they begin promising page one, though, run fast. Odds are that whatever examples of past success they offer will be based on either narrow interest categories or very, very narrow search terms.

If you own a website domain name, you have access to email accounts that tie to that site. CustomerService@FabulousGifts.com says “I’m a legitimate business; check out my website.” FabulousGifts@Yahoo.com says “I’m bush league, won’t tell you where my website is, and am possibly operating out of my kitchen.” If the excuse is that you need spam filtering or like checking mail through a browser ... both options are standard with web hosting contracts. In this day and age, there’s no excuse for using the same email domain as the 12 year old next door.

A new trend has me deeply concerned — vendors and rep groups offering email, newsletter and customer database services. What if you drop the vendor or rep group in the future? Who owns the contact list once you upload it to their server? Who has access to those email addresses? To your open rate? To your content, images, graphics, and photos? Does uploading your email list to a server owned by a third party who has a vested interest in you selling their wares violate your store’s privacy policy? Will the vendor or rep group have access to new customers sign ups? Who owns those new additions? Instead of relying on an industry player, I strongly suggest sticking with any one of the fine, well-established newsletter providers out there — my personal favorite is MyEmma.com, offering stellar service and oodles of tracking options. Definitely a sound investment. (And no, they don’t pay me to say this stuff.)

Facebook is here to stay. For those of you who remain skeptical, consider this: As of July 2009, it was the #1 social media site, 89 million users averaging 4.5 hours there each month. And these aren’t kids — the largest group of users clocks in between 25–49 years old. Heads up, though — there’s been a shift in how fans view businesses on Facebook. Plain ol’ back and forth conversation with businesses they’ve “fanned” is great. Blatant, non-stop marketing posts? Not so much. The upside is that for you, this means easier Facebook maintenance. Toss in occasional posts about specials and sales, but focus on relaxed conversation, just like you do in the store. It’s a win/win.

One of the biggest advantages you have over online-only competition rests outside the virtual world — your store, a physical environment where customers can hang out, laugh, look, touch, test and buy. You have the ability to connect personally; add credibility by posting photos of this safe haven on your website. That kind of stature is invaluable.

Use it. Use it. USE IT.