Everybody talks about the importance of search engine optimization (SEO) - and without a doubt it is important. Your website is useless if you don't have traffic. In addition to giving you more traffic, SEO also gives you relevant traffic - it is much more likely that the people who end up on your website through search engines are actually interested in what you are offering.

It is important to realize that getting a lot of traffic to your website is not the ultimate goal - it is a means to an end. Do you want to increase your sales? Do you want to build a relationship with your potential clients? It is absolutely necessary to have a proper strategy for your website that is aligned with your overall organizational goals.

Most businesses are interested in increasing their profits - and your website can be your best sales and marketing tool. In order to achieve that you need to generate leads from your visitors in order to turn them into customers. Even on top websites 95% of people don't buy anything on their first visit to the website - and that is a waste of traffic. The more traffic you get, the more you waste if you are unable to generate leads from those visits.

You need to get e-mail addresses of as many visitors as possible - but you need to give them something in return. Usually the best strategy is to offer them something they regard as valuable, but doesn't cost you much or anything at all, like useful information about your industry. For instance, if you're in the real estate industry, you can offer 'Top 10 things to know when buying a condo' or 'What you need to know about buying a property'. A top 10 format is useful as there is strong evidence people are more likely to find it attractive as compared to a conventional article.

Once you build up your lead generation systems, you need to start a relationship with your prospects. Research data indicates that you need at least 7 contacts with a person before he/she seriously considers buying your product. Send your leads a useful piece of information every 2-3 days for a total of at least 7 times to show off expert knowledge about your industry. This helps you to position yourself as an authority on the subject and increase trust - which is fundamental for converting the prospect into customer. Finally, make a sales pitch: give them a discounted offer for a limited period of time and you will see your sales numbers going up.

Your business success on the internet relies on an integrated approach. Start with SEO and then use all the weapons in your internet marketing arsenal. Make sure the sales copy on your website captures the attention of the visitors from the first lines. Then set in place effective lead capturing mechanisms and sell to those leads. This approach guarantees sustained success and makes sure you're utilizing your potential online.

Peep Laja is a search engine optimization (SEO) and internet marketing expert. He runs his own consultancy Panama Internet Marketing, where strategy is combined with creativity to deliver effective websites that convert visitors into customers.