It is claimed more than 30,000 search engines exist across the web but more than 95 per cent of all searches are carried out using only 15 of them.

So how can you ensure your web site is listed by those 15 search engines and, more importantly, appears at the top of their lists?

Evolution has worked with Noreen Cleary, an internet marketing specialist and web directory editor based at the Sussex Innovation Centre, to bring you a guide to getting the best from your business web site.

She said: "Companies need to take time out to analyse their web site and optimise it so search engines and directories can identify key features and rank the site in an appropriate manner.

"Optimisation is time-critical because search engines take from few weeks to many months to index new sites. It is imperative a site is fully optimised prior to submission."

As search engine optimisation can mean the difference between success and failure, why do so many companies spend a large amount of time, effort and money on site development and ignore vital marketing strategy?

The simple answer is most people don't know where to start.

The following tips will help you to improve your search engine rankings. (It is important to note optimisation is a process which needs to be carried out regularly, taking into account changes in search engine requirements and making sure your site is performing properly at all times.)

The first step is a careful analysis of your web site to identify its failings.

Then discover where your site is currently ranked by the major search engines and directories so when modifications are made you can plot any improvement.

It is important to target your efforts and avoid a scatter gun approach to changes. Identify key words and phrases that accurately describe your site and build a list of meta tags that help the search engines to identify what your site is about and index it accurately.

A meta tag is a piece of HTML coding that does not show when someone views the web site but is visible to a search engine as it trawls the web looking for new sites.

Rules used by different search engines govern how such tags are used, how many characters they should contain and how they should be formatted.

Having sorted out your meta tags, you then need to register your site with the various types of search engines and directories.

There are two primary types of search engine.

The most common is where you pay to be listed (Inktomi and Alta Vista, for example), although many pay-for-service engines still offer a lesser form of listing for free.

There are fewer free-to-register engines (Google and Alltheweb, for example).

The cost of registering with search engines varies but as a rule it will be about £30 per listed web page. This charge is normally billed every six months to a year and adds up to about £1,000 per year for the average company web site.

Directories are different to search engines because they are compiled manually by human editors.

Once web sites are submitted to a directory, they are assessed by an editor and, if deemed suitable, listed under one or more subject categories.

Users search across a directory using keywords and phrases or browse through the subject hierarchy (best examples of a directory are Yahoo and the Open Directory Project).

The cost of registering your web site with a directory will vary.

Yahoo! currently charges £199 a year for a listing while Looksmart charges £149.

Best value for money has to be The Open Directory project at www.dmoz.org which is absolutely free and feeds a number of search engines such as Google and AOL.

Registering with search engines and directories is a time-consuming process so many application designers have come up with automated ways to submit entries.

Unfortunately, these will not give you optimum results because they are unable to recognise when a search engine changes its registration criteria.

Many search engines regard software-

undesirable and may blacklist a site that uses an automated registration process.

Ms Cleary says: "You can't beat a real person when it comes to raising a web site's rankings.

"A good internet marketeer will know when search engine criteria changes and will adapt your web site to meet the new demands."

Contact Ms Cleary on 01273 704442 for more information.

Benefits of search engine optimisation Gain access to one of the
largest internet database platforms. Major search engines attract more visitors than almost any other web site. Yahoo! boasts 65 million registered users.

Drive qualified leads to your
site for those searching for your product or services. More than 80 per cent of all internet users search using engines.

Increase sales. Consumers use
search engines to locate and buy goods or to do research prior to making a purchasing decision.

Branding. Search engines will
increase your penetration globally and optimise your brand's message.

Raise your profile. Drawing
potential clients to your site instead of your competitor's.

A flexible platform for
marketing campaigns.