Then came the general distress that began to build across the entire economy, drying up investment capital. Business people who were considering using the Internet as a business tool began to find their enthusiasm dampened by a shortage of profits.

Third, the September terrorist attack seemed to suck any remaining optimism out of our economic future. Plans for business expansion, including extensions into the Internet, were dealt a very damaging blow.

Yet, Internet use continues to grow. According to Nua Internet Surveys, as of August 2001, more than 513 million people were estimated to be online worldwide, with more than 180 million in the United States and Canada. This immense audience is the largest ever assembled within reach of a single selling message.

A Dun & Bradstreet survey indicates that as of October 2001, 85 percent of small business owners in the U.S. had Internet access and more than half of them had a Web site. Sixty percent of those who are online say they plan to use the Internet more in 2001.

Many businesses that already have an Internet presence are seeing increased traffic to their sites. For example, Cap Gemini Ernst & Young reports that the Internet is becoming increasingly important to car buyers, not just in the U.S., but also in Europe. And 38 percent of 8,000 consumers polled said that the Internet was an important information source when looking for a new car. This is a 41 percent increase over 2000. Online sales of cars in the U.S. almost doubled year-over-year.

All is not completely rosy, however, in online commerce. According to J.D. Power and Associates, online stock brokerages lost 18 percent of their established investors in the past six months. While this number probably is influenced by the reduction in stock portfolio values, it could also reflect some dissatisfaction with online service. Based on the same study, online investors say the most important factor in overall satisfaction with brokerages is information resources. It is reported to be more important than customer service, core values, Web site capability, cost and trade execution, in that order.

Online banking also is having trouble. The Industry Standard reported that a study conducted by Unisys, due for release in November, reflected that more than 40 percent of 400 of the world’s biggest banks surveyed did not provide an e-mail address or contact details. In fact, 23 percent didn’t even have a Web site. Among those that did have a Web site and did provide an e-mail address, 64 percent failed to reply to an e-mail requesting a new account. Of those that did reply, 25 percent provided an “unacceptable” response.

Even the reliable Internet players are having problems. With advertising expenditures way down, Yahoo, the world’s largest Web portal, lost $24.1 million in the third quarter, a dramatic reversal from a profit of $47.7 million in the third quarter 2000. This is despite continuing growth in its audience, now at 210 million users, up 5 percent in September 2001.

Nevertheless, there is evidence that the Internet continues to work its way into the fundamental fabric of American life. According to Harris Interactive Inc., the number of users claiming that the Internet was one of their news sources rose to 80 percent three weeks after the September attack. In addition, 63 percent said they went online to get information at times that suited them, 43 percent said that more detailed news could be found online and 42 percent said it was the availability of up-to-date information that attracted them. CNN.com claimed its traffic was up 680 percent in the 24 hours following the attack.

The Lee Island Coast Visitor & Convention Bureau regularly monitors the use of the Internet by travelers to Lee County. The percentage of people who have computers, who have online service and who use the Internet to obtain destination information and/or book reservations has grown every month almost without exception. Recently, 76 percent claimed to use it to seek information while 41 percent booked reservations online. This corresponds with extremely high Internet traffic reports from Web sites like the Sanibel-Captiva Islands Chamber of Commerce and Tropical Traveler. The Chamber averaged 1,600 unique visitors a day to date in 2001. Tropical Traveler’s combined 28 Web addresses, ranging from Sanibel.com to OrlandoHotels.com receives almost 10,000 unique visitors each day. A study by Webhancer showed that by Oct. 2, the level of online traffic to travel sites was at 104 percent of the level prior to the attack.

So what does the future hold for you as a marketer on the Internet and World Wide Web? If you do things right, the Internet will only grow in its importance for you. It’s not that hard. It only requires the kind of sensible business practices that you already employ in your business. Here are some guidelines:

Promote your Web presence in every conceivable way. Every publication or message that you send out should include your Web address and your e-mail address. Put both on your business cards, letterhead, stationary, ads, commercials, telephone on-hold message, brochures and e-mail messages. Make it easy for them to contact you.

Use public relations to create noise about your Web site. This is especially important for companies that rely heavily on “local” business. Let the local newspapers know when you have upgraded your site or if you are offering some unusual Web benefit. Most papers have space for these “blurbs.” Some even have special sections devoted to Web commerce.

Register your Web site with the major search engines. Approximately one-third of Web site visits originate with search engines. If you have not registered with the major search engines, such as Yahoo, Alta Vista and MSN, you are like a store with an unlisted number and no sign on your door.

Consider pay-per-click search engines. Some search engines actually let you “buy” a position in their rankings. One of those—FindWhat.com—is headquartered in Fort Myers. Another, Overture.com (formerly GoTo.com), has struck deals with AOL, MSN, Earthlink and other search programs so that the top three or four sites listed for any search word appear at the top of their pages. They are identified as paid listings. But if they capture the attention of someone looking for what you have to sell, who cares?

Use e-mail to cultivate your customer base. E-mail is one of the most effective tools available on the Internet. Once a potential customer finds you and requests that you stay in touch, regular e-mail contacts initiated by you will bring them back. Don’t assume they know and remember you. With millions of Web pages, anyone may have contacted you and moved on, with no recollection of who you are. Remind them with liberal use of your Web address.

Track your traffic. One of the powerful things about the Internet is that you can know when your site was visited and how they found you. Numerous services provide this information for your Web site. Extreme Tracking, for example, offers both free and paid tracking software. With this information you can tune your site and your promotion to reach your best prospects.

Continue to develop and update your Web site. The Internet is here to stay. It will grow and your business will grow with it, but only if you understand the dynamics of the Internet. A Web site is a work in progress. New information, new looks and new approaches reward your visitors and tell them that you are a growing, dynamic business.

William Earnest Waites is the former chairman and co-creative director of Spiro & Waites Advertising, Marketing & Public Relations. He also has held senior creative and management positions with Young & Rubicam and Ogilvy Mather.