The Web consists of over 150 million web pages. With the number of web pages surging, search engine programs are used to navigate through the clutter. Users move from page to page, or sometimes site to site, by clicking on high-lighted text or graphics called links. Most commercial web sites today provide product information, entertainment, advertising and electronic bulletin boards where people can talk to one another. With advances in Web security, many businesses are now directly marketing their products on the Web.
Customers can now place orders and pay for it through credit cards over the Web.
Marketing on the Web will ultimately take a much different form. Once the online marketplace is established, the cost of presenting goods will be a fraction of presenting them in a store or catalog. However, consumers are already visiting these electronic storefronts that offer bargain prices for everything from clothes to consumer durable's. All the major airlines offer tickets and post specials every week to customers who have registered their E-Mail addresses. Almost every major business has a significant Web presence today.