Are your customers using a computer? Do you think that your future customers will be computer savvy? Are your older customers using the Internet more then they used to? Have your customers ever used Google, Yahoo! or MSN for online searches?

The answer of course is yes.

I have been in this business a long enough to have an in depth understanding of customer behaviors. First, if you don't feel the internet pinch; declining deposits, greater demands for convenience and the impact of the online lenders and deposit services breathing on the back of your neck – then you soon will.

With more then 50% of users using a search engine as their first stop when searching for financial products and services, the Web is truly your virtual lobby, outdoor billboard, newspaper ad, television advertisement and radio spot – it has the making of the most important vehicle you will use to promote yourself. At the core of TODAY's and tomorrows trends is the search engine.

We made a decision as a company, not to leverage Flash as our platform for building websites. Google, the largest search engine, and all the others have clearly stated that Flash is not the best technology to use when Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is important. In an era when the search engine is reaching more then half of your customers and influencing their decisions we made the choice to leverage technology that is the most search engine friendly.

But it is more then the technology that we use - it is also about strategy. Our understanding of community banking, our understanding of your customers and our ability to market you online are key elements that will make you successful and have a positive impact on your page ranking and easy of accessibility online.

Part of our strategy is to take into account the following SEO methods and approaches: organic searches, linkbating, inbound and outbound linking, internal linking between pages, forum seeding, key words, meta data, manual submissions to search engines and building our sites in a way that optimizes them for the customer who will find you via a search.

One of the most important elements: the content of your website. This is why we like to have our hand in that part of the website and marketing process. Our knowledge of technology, online and offline marketing strategies coupled with your knowledge creates the perfect team. Tailoring your content to reach out and attract customers, whether they are away at college or living just outside of town, the reach and the power of the Web search cannot be ignored. We have a system, approach and the best technology to help you conquer your goals.

As long as the search engine is a critical piece of today's marketing strategy it will be our business rule to make our technological and service decisions accordingly. To not would be providing you solutions that are not the best for you, your customers or the future of your bank.