Many people bypass search engines altogether and still find what they're looking for online. These Internet surfers are using direct navigation.

Search engine marketing and search engine optimization are critically important to online businesses. You can spend every penny you have on a website, but it will all be for nothing if nobody knows your site is there.

Everyone knows what search engines are. But relatively few know how to use them effectively.

The number of small businesses in the United States totals about 25 million. Because most of these have a local trading territory, relatively few advertise online. Online advertising reaches the masses of the Internet world, whether they are local or not.

In direct navigation, users type exactly what they are looking for in the browser's web address field. This could be the exact domain name or web address. Millions of people do this, emphasizing the need for on- and off-line marketing and branding.

Traditional local media are adding local search capabilities to their sites so they can share in the local search traffic and ad revenues in the local markets they serve.

Good website practice and optimizing for conversion usually makes for good search engine optimization. These work together to ensure you drive quality traffic and can persuade that traffic to help you meet your business goals.