First, you need to be found, and prominently, if you are going to make any new business online. If you can be among the first page results of the thousands of other companies offering exactly the same as you, you have an immediate advantage.

Even then, you need to understand that this is only the first stage, and that 400 more visitors a day doesn't necessarily mean 400 more sales - just more potential for sales. Search engine users search the Internet for many different reasons, such as to research a problem they may have or to read up on something they have heard about.

These people, possibly as high as 60%, are immediately unlikely to become customers.

Of those who are left, more will be further disqualified if, for example, you are a local business and they are out of your area, or even country.

This again narrows the field, until you finally end up with the percentage of people who are looking for exactly what you offer and are in exactly your area.

Then the comparisons begin. These visitors will then compare you to the other search results, judging your site and products or services. You will be judged on how professional you look, how fast the site loads, how easy it is to find what they want, and how your prices compare to those of the other results.

Of course, that's if everything shows up correctly. I have seen many first page results sites that have coding and layout errors if you view them in the wrong browser.

The realistic bottom line is that the search engine visitors who actually "convert" to become purchasers is low, usually only one to two percent. Even the top ten percent of ecommerce sites in the world only average around a three percent conversion rate.

This is the main reason that we do not sell our clients pay-per-click campaigns. With such low return percentages, I have never, in 14 years, come across any company that has actually been able to make back its pay-per-click costs.

Instead, we work alongside clients to get first page search results using our FirstPage system, which employs traditional, and, more importantly, free methods.

To target your content more effectively and retain as many visitors as possible, you need to understand how many visitors you are realistically likely to get and how they are likely to react to the different elements of your site.

Also, analyze how your competitors are doing things, including pricing. This will help you plan your online strategy to make sure that, in the comparison shopping arena, you will come out on top.

If you are ready to grow your business, now is the perfect time to consider our WebUpdate systems, which employ advanced marketing, promotion and security features designed to give businesses the best competitive edge online.

Terry Young is the founder and CEO of Internet Marketing and Design. Since 1997,
his computer programming and graphic design knowledge have kept his company
at the forefront of the latest technology in web development.