So you've realized that simply having a website does not automatically guarantee you visitors to your web site. In relation to website traffic there is no "Field of Dreams". You can "build it" but "they will not come". By far the most high-priced and beautiful web site is completely worthless if you have zero traffic to that website.One doesn't construct a hotel in the center of the desert. Well,unless, you've mafia connections and your name is Bugsy Siegel.

How does one get visitors to your website if your a local business? Well, it boils down to realizing where and how your clients are searching for products and suppliers. A few short years ago had you been trying to find an air conditioning company you would take out the area telephone book and begin your search. However with the growth and popularity of the world wide web the entire economic climate has changed within a couple of short years.Today, if you lived in Atlanta and wanted an AC repair shop, you wouldn't go to the phonebook, but rather to the internet and use search engines to search for "AC repair atlanta". This particular search would retrieve an index of Search Engine Results Pages (SERP's). The SERP's in most cases supply you with a number of pages of results with about 10 results for each page. For example when you perform a search for "AC repair Atlanta" on the Search engine you get around 13,000,000 results. Even so the search engine only shows you 10 of those results on the 1st page, after that 10 more for the second page and so on and so on.

And so, if your an Air conditioner company, and your customers are searching for community businesses over the internet, the question is, does your website show up in the search listings every time a shopper types in "AC maintenance atlanta"? Likewise, equally as crucial as appearing in the SERP's is what location you have in those 13,000,000 results. If you are in the bottom of that listing no one is going to scroll through millions or even hundreds of results. Research tell us that 85% of people click a listing they will find on the front page of the SERP's and the other 15% is shared by the 2nd and 3rd pages of results. So, when you show up on page 1,2 or 3 you're "in business". Should you show up on page Four or lower you will be "out of business".

So the key to growing web traffic is being found by your potential prospects in the top three pages of the search engines and preferably in the top page of the search results.

All right, so the big question. How does one get your web site indexed in the top of the search engines? The answer to this question may be easy or complicated. The easy answer is to hire a Search Engine Optimization specialist. This Search engine optimization professional will work with you to assess your web site along with your overall competition to produce a strategy designed to rank your website within the top of the search engines. A good SEO expert can have you ranking competitively within 30 - 120 days depending upon competition for your search phrases. The fee for Search engine optimization services range between $100 - to hundreds of thousands of dollars again dependant on the competitive dynamics of your company. Most small community businesses will need to plan on budgeting in between $200 - $500 per month for the solutions of a good SEO specialist. Compared to the cost of yellow page ads and other sorts of advertising, Search engine optimization services along with the traffic that comes from having top page website listings may be the smartest promotion money a small business can spend.

The complicated answer is to get started understanding how Search engine ranking works. If you're a small business and you have more time than income to promote your business then you're going to need to know the ins and outs of SEO.There are various steps you can take to your site that can strengthen your sites capacity to rank. Simple things like finding the proper words or keywords as part of your content to the appropriate utilization of meta tags within the scope of the average guy if you possess the time to commit to it. To learn more about SEO I recommend the book "The Art of SEO" which is available through Amazon. Google webmaster tools is another great place to start your education. Just search "Google webmaster tools" and you will find a lot of information to get you started.

This article is furnished by Lionheart.net a Tampa Search engine marketing firm and Tampa Website Design. If we can be of any help with website design, internet marketing or Search engine marketing please go to Lionheart.net or call us at 813-571-3919.