What has the internet ever done for us? Well, much like the Romans, rather a lot - free information, easy communication, simplified travel, access to better jobs... there really isn't time to go through all the positives that have come from bringing the world online (nor indeed to argue about the equally numerous negatives). But there is one benefit which we need to take a look at here, and that's the retail opportunities that customers now have.

Once upon a time, it was the retailers who held most of the cards, who were in control of what was available to buy where, and for how much. For example, John wants a new lawnmower, and it's being sold by two garden centres, Borren's and O'Brien's. O'Brien's has the best deal, a full 25% off the recommended retail price - but the nearest branch is too far to travel to, so he's stuck with paying more at a local Borren's. Add the internet to this story, and it changes massively: now, John can order the mower from O'Brien's at the cheaper price, and they'll deliver it the next day. Which means that Borren's have to price more competitively, and competition with companies across the country (and, in many cases, across the world) can only mean lower prices and better service for customers everywhere.

So far so good. But what does it mean for the businesses? Extra pressure, certainly, a greater number of rivals to see off in order to survive. Yet on the other hand, for those willing and able to take advantage of new technologies, there's the opportunity to reach out to more customers than ever before. The rewards for success can be greater, but the risk of failure has risen along with it. How, then, can a company ensure that they're reaping those rewards and keeping ahead of the pack? Well, many of the traditional techniques still count - competitive pricing, quality products, good customer service - but there's also a unique factor specific to online retail that must be paramount in your company's approach. If potential customers are searching online for a company that provides what they need, then there'll inevitably be many alternatives alongside your own business - so you need to ensure that they get to your site first.

The most common way for customers to find the business they'll spend their money with is through a search engine. However, this creates its own problems. Think of a product that you're interested in, and search for it - you don't get just one answer, do you? Perhaps you're the patient and conscientious type who'll search through many possibilities and many pages of search results to find the best deal, but if you are, then you're in the minority. Most online shoppers won't - so you'll need your company's website to appear as highly as possible on the search.

The art of making this happen is known as Search Engine Optimisation, or SEO for short. Every search engine has a formula to work out which pages will be listed first, and SEO techniques involve making a website fit that formula better. This can often be as simple as the positioning of keywords (ensuring that site selling lawnmowers features 'mower' prominently in the text and the page description). But really effective SEO needs something more, because search engines have become more complex: one common method is to place links back to the page on other websites so it appears more popular; another is to ensure that keywords don't just appear on a page but appear in the most effective places, including headers and image descriptions.

When it comes to bringing in customers, SEO works like the location of a shop. No matter how could your products are, there's a natural limit on just how many customers will come through the door if the shop is in a quiet corner of town. Getting a high result on a search engine, however, is the equivalent of a prime spot on the high street - but without the high rents to pay. There are businesses which specialise in providing SEO solutions for companies, but you can save a good deal of money by taking control of the issue yourself. Fortunately, you don't need to understand search engine algorithms to know where to find the best results; design your website with Microsoft Expression Web 4, and you get a list of every aspect of the site that can be improved for the best SEO results, and how you go about improving it. All you need to do is to select the item on the list, and make the change that the software suggests (or not, if you feel that it's not a change you want in the site).

There's one other detail about SEO which you need to bear in mind. If your company doesn't use it, chances are that your rivals will, and they'll have an inherent headstart because of it. Getting to grips with SEO principles and techniques - and using software such as Expression Web to take advantage of them - can make a huge difference to your company, and it's certainly worth considering a short training course for yourself or your staff to make the most of the SEO tools that the software provides. With these on your side, you can focus on making the customer experience as positive as possible, confident that the best of your business will always be highly visible and easy for those customers to find.