If you own a business, do you ever find yourself searching for ways to put the power of technology to better use? Many entrepreneurs who run small and medium-sized companies sometimes feel like they're losing out to competitors who are more tech-savvy. 

If that thought ever keeps you awake at night, have no fear. The good news is that there are plenty of straightforward, effective ways to put technological techniques in your toolbox. For example, in addition to making your commercial website more mobile-friendly, focus on areas like SEO, email marketing, leveraging the efficiency of the cloud, not over-doing social media, and offering some freebies for site visitors every now and then. Here's a summary of the top ways business owners use tech to boost profits.

The era of online sales being driven by people who shop from their home-based, desktop computers is fading quickly. Among young and old consumers, the bulk of e-commerce activity, browsing, online shopping, investing, and buying is taking place on mobile devices. If your business is not mobile-friendly, you're already losing potential clients. Consider hiring a freelance IT pro who can create all your online pages, ads, content, shopping carts, and images mobile-enabled. That way, whenever anyone, using any device, encounters your company's site, they'll see entire pages and complete images. Plus, shopping carts will work as they should.

Hiring an SEO consultant, either as a permanent resource or a one-time expert to get you started, is a winning strategy. Why? Because no matter how great your products and services are, no one will hear about them unless your website is properly structured. Search engine optimization pros know how to give you the high visibility you need to earn a profit. In fact, SEO expertise helps businesses improve visibility in search engines, attract more customers, and build a solid base of long-term, loyal clients. To learn more about the essentials of SEO, check out an online guide that explains what these professionals do, how consultants can deliver real results no matter what niche you sell in, and why it's so important to get a high search engine ranking in the first place.

Don't develop an allergy to email marketing. It's been around for decades but is still one of the best marketing values for owners who know how to use it. Follow the rules and keep messages to your clients short, infrequent, and full of value (like coupons) or relevant information about upcoming sales.

Be careful not to assume that more is better when setting up your business's social media presence. Social media takes time, both for setup and regular maintenance. If you overextend and try to answer hundreds of queries per day, social media will end up holding you back. The goal should be to create content that drives conversations and that strategy lends itself to quality over quantity. Especially for new and smaller organizations, it's usually wise to focus on just one social media outlet. Choose your favorite and attend to it regularly.

Consumers like free, and today's online shoppers appreciate digital freebies as long as there's value involved. Consider offering free reports, in-depth articles, and other digital items that your buyers have an interest in. For example, if you sell skin care products, you might give everyone who opts in to your email list a free report on the top-ten organic face creams.