If you do business online, and your search engine ranking is not one, then you have got to step your Internet game up. You can hire an online marketing solutions company to help get you there, though. They do this through search engine optimization (SEO).

To highlight the importance of being number one on Google, let me explain that Google has about between 65 to 70 percent of the Internet search engine market share, believe it or not. That means that way more than half of the people using search engines will use Google.

And if you do not understand why that is important, then understand that more than half of consumers (58 percent) will start researching a service or a product through a search engine, which is much higher than the 24 percent who visit company websites and the 18 percent who inquire through a social media platform. Plus, over 88 percent (nearly all that is) of internet users in the United States, ages 14 and up, are going to browse and research a product or service online in 2012. Approximately 40 percent of them are going to follow up on social media as well, requesting more information before making a purchase.

Do you understand now why having a website is important? And why having the number one search engine ranking of that website is important, too?

Utilizing the Internet is great for business. It will give you an immediate edge over those who are not, and if you have a high search engine ranking, it will give you an even bigger edge over those who do. You see, business leads that are generated through search engine optimization actually have a 14.6 percent close rate, while outbound leads only have an average 1.7 percent close rate.

Search engine optimization does not have to stop there, either. In fact, you can boost your search engine ranking by making a mobile platform for your website as well. This is an especially great at idea, because it is sure to give you an edge over the web sites of your competitors. It is estimated that by 2014, smartphones and tablet users, those who are mobile Internet users, will overtake desktop Internet users.

What do you think about all this? Do you understand the importance of having a good search engine ranking? What questions might you have? I will do my best to answer anything regarding online marketing or your search engine ranking. Please, comment and share your experiences with search engine rankings and the like!