To many marketers serving a local-area target market, search engine optimization and pay-per-click marketing can be scary, expensive territory. The great thing with all the different ways to get started in search engine marketing is that you can start simple and low cost and work your way up from there.  For search engine optimization you can use the free SEO tool Website Grader, and for Google Adwords you can set your ads to only show up in a local area and pick a daily limit to your spending to manage your budget.  Before you get started, just make sure you understand the difference between paid and organic search.  Finally, you should also read this article about Free Google Advertising- it is a must for any local business.