The internet is very much like a huge electronic Library, that enables people to access information from all the websites that exist throughout the world.

However, simply creating a website does not mean your information will automatically be seen by the many millions of people using the internet every day. To get noticed you need to let people know you exist.

This can be done in a number of ways, but being listed on a search engine is by far the most important. Quite often this happens automatically, but most submit their site for inclusion.

When using a search engine to find a particular product or service, you need to provide as much information as possible to obtain the best results. If the search words you use are too common (or vague), the search engine may list millions of pages and this of course will not be very helpful.

To attract visitors to your website, you need to include words on your pages that will match those used in the search. This is called "optimisation"

The more relevant and interesting the information you supply, the higher your position in the search results. It is a known fact that if your site does not appear in the first three pages of a search, the chances of getting noticed are extremely small. It is therefore imperative that you choose the right "keywords" to achieve this.

Whilst most internet users have fast connections, there are still many who have not. It is therefore important to remember this when designing your pages, as the more information you place on them (especially images and flash animation), the longer it takes for the page to appear. If it takes too long, the visitor may not wait!