A web site is like any tool: great when it's put to good use, and usually blamed unfairly when it isn't. At the lowest level, it promotes your business; at a higher level, your web site may actually be a fundamental operational part of your business! But whether you've spent several hundred pounds or several thousands on its development, it could be money wasted if potential clients don't know it's there. Installing a phone doesn't make people call you unless they know your number.
Managing your online presence does not end with the launch of your web site. You may have had the web address printed on all your stationery, you may now be incorporating it in any traditional advertising campaigns, but without spending time on search engine promotion and optimisation you could still be missing out on a potential revenue stream.
When it comes to search engines, Google is God, used for over 70% of all Internet searches (and no doubt prayed to for inspiration by researchers and shoppers all over the globe). Even if your search engine of choice is not Google, there is a fair chance that its results are generated from Google's database. All this means that it is by far the most important search engine on which to concentrate your site promotion efforts. Take care of Google and the other search engines will pretty much take care of themselves.
