Here are some examples of just how successful search engine optimization can be for any web site:

Hovair Systems Inc, Kent, Washington.

Hovair Systems - my main client - is a manufacturer of air bearing systems in the material handling and lifting industry. A simple search for "air bearing systems" on the Google search engine returns Hovair Systems' web site in the # 1 & 3 positions on page 1, out of over 644,000 possible matches. It also shows a prominent position on pages 2, 3 and 4. A major competitor from the next town does not show at all in the first 100 returns for that search.

The reason for this excellent showing on search engine ranking is the fact that Hovair Systems realizes just how important their web site is in generating business for them. They get dozens of calls each week from other small businesses all over the U.S.A. stating that they have seen the Hovair Systems air bearing web site and would like more info, or to be able to talk with someone regarding their needs. These are facts, not hype developed for this web site to impress you. Send an email to the folks at info@hovair.com and ask for yourself.

This doesn't happen by accident. We have to work at it - it is not automatic.

Weddings By The Sound, Redondo, Washington.

This lovely lady-owned business offers wedding ceremonies and small receptions in a beautiful location overlooking Puget Sound, just south of Seattle.

A simple search on MSN for "Seattle weddings" returns this web site in a prominent second page position out of 90,000 possible combinations. If we narrow the search down a little by bracketing the Seattle & weddings together, so they appear together in that order, we get a return of # 4 out of a possible 210 Seattle wedding locations. A broad search for "Puget Sound weddings" returns a position of # 3 out of some 2940 sites connected with this subject.

This doesn't happen by accident. We have to work at it - it is not automatic.

Elsie From England, First Avenue, Seattle, Washington

Elsie from England is a major travel agent in the Seattle and Puget Sound area. They have been offering and arranging vacations and travel packages to Great Britain for over 25 years, and have a large travel web site designed and maintained by myself. We have worked hard to keep the site in the major rankings of the search engines. With such a diverse offering of travel facilities and packages it is virtually impossible to get them top of the league for every single thing they do. The travel industry is so competitive and cutthroat that only those with the biggest budgets tend to grab those top places. However, we have managed to get them right up there on the first pages for many search terms relating to their business.

For instance: A search on Google for "travel packages to Britain" (a specialty of Elsie from England) returns them a ranking of # 1 out of over 233,000 possible web site matches.

This doesn't happen by accident. We have to work at it - it is not automatic.

Addendum: All figures quote on this page were correct at the time of writing. However, most major search engines, especially Google, change their way of ranking web sites regularly to ensure a level playing field for all users and to dissuade unscrupulous web designers from gaining unfair advantages over other users.