It’s a fact that nearly all businesses today have a website. People either use them as a marketing tool for selling products or services, or simply as a reference tool.

People invest anything from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars, depending on the complexity and quality of their website. Operating a shopping cart is a must for businesses selling products online, whilst some businesses have more of a need for state-of-the-art graphics and programs on their websites.

For business selling products or services online, having online visibility is crucial. If you are in the luxury lodge accommodation industry in Kaikoura and you are positioned on page four for the search phrase "luxury lodge Kaikoura", then it is more than likely that you are not getting the return on your website investment you had expected or hoped for. The astounding thing about this is that most businesses aren’t actually aware that people can’t find their websites based on the most highly searched and relevant keyword phrases that relate to their business.

This is where Search Engine Optimisation comes into play. There is one thing having a superbly designed website that markets a product or service, but this is all in vain if it hasn’t been optimised.

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is one of the most important aspects of website development. It is the process of improving the online visibility of a website in the Search Engines via the "organic" or unpaid search results. Having this done properly can make the difference between an under-performing business and a highly successful one.

The cost of having SEO carried out on a website can vary remarkably. It is very important that you shop around as some Search Engine Optimisation businesses will overcharge and under deliver.

In order to achieve an increase in website traffic, enquiries and sales, you ideally need to be ranked in the top half of the first page for the keyword phrases that mostly relate to your products or services. Online users tend to find what they are looking for on one of the first five websites. If you are positioned lower than this, then you are missing out.

Some website owners will have SEO work carried out on their sites once a month. If you are on page 4 and in a highly competitive online market, then it will take a few months to get into the top five of the first page. A lot of Search Engine Optimisation companies will charge their clients a set rate per month to maintain an upwards climb in the search rankings. Even once you get where you need to be, it’s possible that you’ll still require ongoing SEO work, as other competitors may also be working on their sites.