The challenge of web-success is clear: The Search Engine/Directory industry is essential for  industry. If a company doesn't address all the relevant search engines, it excludes a large segment of its target audience. According to the Google, the Web now contains over 2 billion pages, up from 320 million in December 1997. However, according to a study by the NEC Research Ins., the total search engine coverage shows that no single engine is indexing more than 16 percent of the Web. It is imperative that online business consider implementing some level of search engine positioning plan. Internet searches are the most widely used method of attracting traffic to a website. Research confirms that up to 85% of prospective web customers use search engines to find solutions and vendors.

If your website/page is not found in the top 10 to 30 search results in the major search engines you might as well build a "billboard in the woods". Nobody will ever find your site. Competition is intense for top placement - your site's chances for a top ranking may be 1 in 11 million. The search engine landscape continues to evolve. Where once there were just eight search engines that merited attention, today there are no less than 16 major engines that must be targeted by a search engine positioning campaign.

If you decide to employ a search engine positioning framework from the start, you will give your online business
 an advantage over your competitors, increasing traffic and therefore, sales. If your website has already been developed, search engine placement services can still be added to your process and will prove to be a necessity
in order to increase traffic.

M-TIP: Online marketers recognize that information is the major drawing card for their business. Teach people something new, and you'll distinguish your business from the competition. Information is what people seek, and the more of it you provide and the better you are at providing it, the more customers you'll have. Search engine marketing works best with sites that contain proper content. Intense graphics and flash look nice, but it won't give you a good ranking. Content is King on the Web.