The majority of web designers started out by creating brochures. They are accustomed to a static format and transfer their creative sense to the screen as if it were paper.

However, a good designer knows that a website is not just a big brochure. It's "Brick and Click" - two businesses in one -- and most importantly -- only for the price of one. Your business becomes available to everyone in the world, not just your neighborhood.

It doesn't matter how wonderful your website is -- if a search engine can't find it, it's worthless. As worthless as having a "closed" sign on your door. Good SEO works like an advertising campaign, except that you will be getting new visitors along with your repeat visitors. After time, these visits will add up. This can be claimed by no other campaign in advertising.

What type of customer is your website attracting? For example, is it someone who is ready to buy what you have for sale? Or are people visiting your site without their credit cards in hand, like virtual "window shoppers?"

Because the web is such a large database of websites, customers will most likely be using a search engine to find what they want. Optimizing your site is necessary unless you want it to be lost among the 20 million pages competing with yours. The skill of Search Engine Optimization comes into play here.

Sometimes words that are optimized aren't words people are actually searching for. So although you are ranking #1 on the first page in Google, your website won't be found because no one actually searches for that phrase. Finding out what words a potential customer would likely use is what a good SEO takes the time to discover. Sometimes small changes can make a huge difference in whether your website is found in search engines by your target audience or not. Sufficient research and even slight wording changes are a couple of the things that can make a difference.

Small websites can cost from as little as $500 to $1000. Ongoing costs will always be there. SEOs usually offer to do ongoing work on your website as well to ensure your continued success. Even this critical additional service often costs less than one would imagine.