Prior to the explosion of social networking, most websites were just online pamphlets. An online pamphlet tells potential customers what you can do for them. In today's social media age a website must be more than an online pamphlet, an organization must attract consumers to its website in order to compete with other businesses.

Competitive websites today are rich in current content. Current content includes expert advice, comparisons, how to information, industry news and trends, new product information, and anything else that teaches or provides knowledge related to the website's subject area.

If you sell services, you should use at least one story. Use a client where you delivered on time, on budget, and with outstanding quality. A list of happy client stories increases your business' creditability. If your business is a storefront, you should include hours of operation, location(s), and directions to locations (using MapQuest, Google Earth, Yahoo Maps, or Bing Maps).

There are three ways a potential customer will get to your site: first by directly entering your URL address into a browser, second by clicking a link that redirects the browser to your URL address, and third by selecting a result from a search engine "list of results". How you build your website will play a strong role in getting traffic from the second and third sources.