You have less than 10 seconds to capture interest. The visitor must also be able to gauge the relevance of the site. Many visitors chance upon web pages through keywords tapped into a search engine. If a visitor can't correlate the site to his or her needs, the search will be continued elsewhere. The site must also provide 'value' to the visitor - through information, entertaiment, free gifts or the chance of online bookings.
Search engines hold the key to being found on the net.
However, a distinction has to be drawn among their many forms. Then there are engines where paying customers get preference. The major search engines need to know your site exists. It is then important to build multiple gateway pages, focus on individual sets of keywords that will lead surfers to your site, and customise gateway pages for each major search engine. This will aid the site's accessibility and hopefully have customers queueing up for your services.