Nearly 40 million consumers have changed their minds about shopping brands as a result of online information this year, according to a survey of 4,000 U.S. Internet users released by The Dieringer Research Group (DRG), a Milwaukee-based market research firm. Nearly half of U.S. online adults have changed their opinion about a brand because of their online interactions, and almost 25 percent have switched brands at purchase because of their online experiences.

Now, let's put this in perspective: Internet use in the U.S. increases by 2 million new Internet users each month, according to a study by the U.S. government. The report, published by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the Economics and Statistics Administration, found that 143 million Americans (54 percent of the population) used the Internet in September 2001.

So what's the conclusion here? You can draw two:

1. If your company isn't being found online (and your competitors are), you're missing out on sales. Period. Millions of people-at work, at home, at school-are going online everyday to shop for products. What they see there is affecting what they buy. Which leads to our second supposition…

2. How your company is perceived online impacts how it's perceived offline. That means that your web site and online interactions are important and your online marketing should be consistent with your overall brand image.

Armed with these facts, take a hard look at your online marketing strategy, and ask yourself some tough questions.

First, is your site being found online? Surveys show that about 48 percent of search engine users expect to find the answer to their query on the first page of search results, and 78 percent of Internet users will not look any further than the first three pages of results for the information they seek. If your site isn't being found on the first three pages, chances are it's not being found at all by the people who actually need what you do.

Second, does your company web site support your overall marketing strategy? Because your web site can often be your company's first impression with potential customers, it's important that it supports your overall corporate likeness. Afterall, nothing is more important than your company image. Buying habits are based on a consumer's confidence in a brand or company. Does your web site inspire confidence in your company? With your competition merely clicks away, you can't afford to put anything less than your best foot forward on the Internet.

For help with your web site's search engine visibility or presentation review our web marketing programs or call 800-326-8666 or 330-665-5918.