Today’s property managers don’t have it easy. Besides the day-to-day work involved in a running a building, they’re responsible for managing employees, travelling to and from buildings, and keeping occupants happy.

With so much on their plates, how well are property managers keeping pace with the business and marketing side of their jobs?

With so much to do, marketing is often pushed to the wayside. While property managers have traditionally relied on word of mouth to showcase a job well done, the fact is referrals often don’t provide enough new work to sustain or grow a business. And so, many property managers resort to traditional marketing initiatives such as signs, flyers and local classified ads to find new jobs.

While each of these tactics might have their place, they don’t address the reality that the bulk of property managers’ prospects are in one place: online. Google and, to a lesser extent, Bing and Yahoo are where most consumers find information.

So how do property management companies ensure their business shows up in search engine results pages?

It starts with having a web presence. Just like a hammer and a good level, a web presence is now a necessity, regardless of a company’s size. But the mere existence of a website is not enough; if no one can find it, it is as useful as a busted pot light. Websites must be found and the best way to do that is to appear on the first page of search results for relevant searches.

Getting on the first page is a matter of time and resources, and the reality is most property managers simply don’t have the time or skills to build a robust and easily locatable website. Increasingly, companies are turning to a variety of search engine optimization (SEO) services to boost their organic search ranking. But even then, they still have to worry about creating and maintaining a site. And SEO is only half the battle. Pay per click advertising is equally, if not more, important.

What property managers need is a way to reach potential customers in a one-stop shop format. The process of moving from strategy to design and from website build to SEO and pay per click marketing is not something most business owners can stomach on top of the demands of running a business. Working with comprehensive online marketing companies can help build a web presence and move the company up the search rankings – all while leaving the heavy lifting to the jobsite.

A job well done will always speak for itself but as the world moves online, property management companies need to empower themselves with a bolstered web presence to make sure that great work gets noticed. Amidst all the details involved in running a building, it’s easy to forget the next customer often matters as much as the current one. With an easily locatable online presence that appears at the top of relevant search results, property managers can help ensure they’re in exactly the right spot when that next customer is ready to get in touch.

Milind Mehere is the general manager of OutRank, a small and autonomous business unit within Rogers Communications Inc. that is dedicated to exclusively helping small businesses in Canada manage their online marketing programs.