More than a dozen Statesboro businesses enjoyed lunch at RJs while learning about search engine optimization the past two days.

Sponsored by the Statesboro Herald and Matchbin, one of the nation's leading resources in helping companies build market share on their websites, the hour-long seminar highlighted why adding audience to a website is so crucial to a business.

"You can have the most attractive website that is easy to use and full of great content," said Matchbin representative Andrew Mills, "but if no one knows the website exists, it's not doing you or your business any good. We can help you change that."

Search engine optimization, or SEO, helps companies move up the list on Google in particular, but also Yahoo! and Bing when people use keywords to search for a particular item.

"When people go to Google and type in what they are looking for, whether it is Mexican food or dance wear, whatever comes up on the first page of the search almost always will get the follow-up from that potential customer," Mills said. "We can help you get on that first page."

Mills explained that Google uses a sophisticated and consistent set of metrics to determine what goes to the top of a search page. He said a lot of the metric is determined by the number of other sites a particular website is linked to and through.

"For example, businesses that are part of our Search Statesboro site on the Statesboro Herald, are then linked to all the Statesboro Herald links and also to the more than 750 media partners of Matchbin," Mill's said. "That combination will help you get on that first page of a Google search."

The Herald partnered with Matchbin for the Eagle Nation and Search Statesboro parts of statesboroherald.com in 2008.

"Matchbin has helped us drive lots of traffic to our site," said Jan Melton, advertising director for the Herald. "Its ability to create and host websites also allows us to offer that service to businesses in our area."

As more and more people use the Internet to shop or search for whatever it is they are looking for online, the websites of businesses both large and small must look for every possible edge to compete for their attention, Mills said. That's why search engine optimization is so critical for a website, he said.