Your web content is your front line. Once you have successfully penetrated the search engine and earned placement for your website, then you must engage your visitors with meaningful content. This is true even for a nuts-and-bolts small-business website with a purely commercial message. Customers are engaged with your website when they either have a reason to act (to make a purchase or pursue steps toward a purchase), or have a reason to return to your site. This task will vary greatly depending on the type of website you offer, and hence, can mean many different things.

The following screenshot shows an opportunity missed: a website with zero-visitor engagement. This single-page website is little more than a business card: a half-page logo, a few phone numbers, and a nonsensical theme:

Engaging your visitors can mean many things. It can mean giving them content that they care about or need. Are your visitors tech-savvy entrepreneurs looking for tips and...