In today’s difficult economic conditions it is essential for small businesses to use their marketing dollars in the most effective manner possible. Most of us no longer, if we ever had, have the luxury of throwing good money after bad.

J.D. Power found that overall, 70 percent of travel reservations were booked online in 2008, up from 53 percent in 2007. That number will only continue to increase, showing that travelers are using the internet to research and book their trips.

However, many small travel businesses are missing out on these opportunities as the J.D. Power survey also found that only 16 percent of online reservations were made through independent travel Web sites. Consumers who booked travel using an independent Web site in 2008 also reported being less satisfied compared with 2007.

Why are small travel companies missing out on the opportunity that should be a huge benefit? While prices contributed some to the decrease in customer satisfaction with independent travel Web sites, problems with excessive content, pop-ups and having to download new software in order to book were large factors.