There has been a dramatic increase over the last few years in the numbers of people who are shopping online, rather than venturing into shops. That's why it is so important to make good use of the internet if you want to maintain or increase sales.

Most businesses have a website, but is it being used to best effect? How visible are you? When you do a Google search, where does your company rank? It's a scary fact, but most people won't look beyond the first page of a Google search, many won't even venture to the bottom of the page. However, there are companies that can help improve your rankings using clever search engine optimisation techniques.

Things you can do yourself, such as adding more content through a blog. Talk about what's going on in your industry, keep it newsworthy and professional.   

Additionally, make sure your website is easy to navigate, not too crammed full of information. If you were a customer, would your website give you all the information you needed?

Set up an internet merchant account (IMA) to facilitate payments more easily. These accounts enable customers from all over the world to make purchases via credit or debit card through, hence are vital to any online business. To set this up, the vendor must open an IMA with a merchant bank or an acquiring bank. These banks will take the money from the customer's credit card and deposit it in the vendor's IMA.

Don't be mistaken, it isn't a 'normal' bank account, you won't have immediate access to funds. The account is managed by the bank, who will transfer the funds from the IMA to your own business account regularly. This is known as settlement.

Clearly you won't be seeing the physical card and won't be able to check its validity, so make use of an authentication service to prevent fraud. Visa and Mastercard both offer this service.

Social media is a huge online marketing tool. If you haven't already done so, set up a Facebook page and a Twitter account, then get active. Give people the opportunity to 'like' or 'retweet' your blog and build up a following. Using social media is one of the biggest and easiest ways to increase your audience.

These are just a few suggestions, but they really could make a difference. Good luck.