According to a GVU Users Survey, 84.8% of Internet users use Search Engines to find websites.

In today's competitive marketplace, the Search Engine Optimization is the most effective, results-oriented online marketing strategy available. With over 400 million searches performed daily - everyone wants a piece of the action. But just "wanting" top rankings, and knowing what to do and not do to get them is where you can separate yourself from the crowd.

Hard as it may be to believe, there are site owners who are not convinced that they need to use search engine optimization. If you know someone who needs their eyes opened a bit, this article just might help.

Most of the professionals reading this article will need very little convincing that search engine optimization is a necessary part of any website trying to make money or attract attention online. But there’s a good chance that you work for, or with, people who either haven’t heard of SEO, or don’t understand why they need to optimize their website. Maybe they’ve invested money in all of the more conventional advertising methods, and even placed banner ads or other paid ads online. Why do they need to spend more time and money to achieve a high ranking in the search engines?

You might start by asking them where they think the traffic for their website is coming from. Despite what they might think, the majority of web traffic is driven by the major commercial search engines: Google, Yahoo!, MSN, and Ask. (As of this writing, AOL’s search engine uses Google for its search results). According to various studies, most people prefer to click on organic search results rather than sponsored results, by a very wide margin.

This doesn’t mean that ads placed with search engine programs (like Google’s AdSense) are worthless, but it does mean that they shouldn’t be the be-all and end-all of a company’s website marketing campaign. Search engine users tend to trust organic results more than paid ads, which means that they’re more likely to click on them – and more likely to convert. There is a catch, though: they have to see you in the results to click on you. A good position in the search engines can’t be bought in the same way as a banner ad or a sponsored listing.

Studies have shown that most search engine users don’t click past the first three pages of search results; many don’t even click past the first page if they find what they’re looking for. Your own experience using search engines probably confirms this. What does this mean? It doesn’t matter how many search engines spider your site; if it isn’t listed in the first three pages, it might as well be invisible. Indeed, getting on the first page, among the top three results, is even better.

Here is a thought that should really give them something to chew on. They might not be doing SEO for their website, but it’s an even bet that their competitors are. In that case, their rivals are getting all that lovely website traffic that they should be getting for themselves. That should make them sit up and take notice if nothing else will.