If you plan to use search engines as one of the main means of driving web site traffic you need to understand the following:

It is estimated that 80% of all click-throughs happen on the first page of the search results.

What this means is: if you're web site does not appear on the first page of the search engine results for any keyword search phrase relevant to your web site you are not in the game! Whatever keyword phrases your targeted audience will use when searching for your products and/or services you need to be listed on the first page of the search results in order to have any chance of getting those targeted customers to your web site.

In terms of attracting local buyers that are using the search engines as their Yellow Pages your site needs to be listed on the first page of any geographical search term that includes your products and/or services. As examples: "Milwaukee carpet store", "flooring Los Angeles", or "Chicago auto dealers". I will explore this concept further in future posts.