If you run your own business and you’re concerned about improving your Internet marketing, search engine optimization (SEO) is absolutely critical, and the statistics back that up.

In America, an overwhelming 92% of adults who use the web conduct at least a search daily. These online users go to search engines like Google to find the products and services they need. Simply by typing in keywords, prospective customers can find the companies that utilize these same keywords in describing what they offer.

But because 75% of people who use search engines never leave that first results page, it is imperative that your company maintains high search engine rankings to maximize its online visibility. A higher ranking typically means more organic clicks for your business’s website, which is 25% more effective in yielding a sale than paid advertising, also known as the “pay-per-click” model.

There are additional formats to consider when developing strategies for improving search engine rankings. With the use of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets set to trump the use of traditional desktop computers by the year 2014, you’ll definitely want to make sure that your website is responsive to mobile users and that you cultivate SEO with these customers in mind.

Additionally, using social media such as Twitter and Facebook can be an effective means of alerting potential customers to new products and upcoming deals. Incidentally, Google’s first tweet on February 26, 2009 was–cleverly–“I’m feeling lucky” in binary code, referring to the process by which users can go directly to the top result for that particular search.

If you want your business to have that coveted top spot, you will definitely need to invest in SEO. If you have additional questions, comments, or suggestions, be sure to share them in the forum below.