build a web site it does not mean they will come,” he says. “The programming used to write your web site has to be “coded” in such a manner that Search Engines like Google and MSN can find it, and understand it. A competent SEO firm will ensure that the guidelines detailed by the Search Engines are adhered too Search Engine Optimization and Web Site Design Go Hand in Hand. Barry Byers of SearchEngineAcademy.ca discusses new opportunities for small and medium enterprises on the web.

“Like most things, unless you know what you are doing, it’s not likely to work. The same holds true for Internet Marketing,” said Barry Byers, Co-Director of Training at Search Engine Academy Toronto, over the phone from the Toronto office.

“For many businesses simply “putting up” a web site is a major coup. They write a few pages of facts about the company. They hire a web site designer to add some graphics and bingo! They are online,” said Byers. Indeed, it sounds simple, right?

It’s so simple that 55% of Canadian businesses have a website. A November 2005 Report from Statistics Canada states that in 2004 total online sales, by private firms, reached an estimated $26.5 billion.

So, what’s next for these businesses to do? “They then sit back and wait for the business to pour in. Then, wait some more. Only to realize that the time and money they invested is not paying off,” said Byers.

So what is the problem? “Just because you build a web site it does not mean they will come,” he says. “The programming used to write your web site has to be “coded” in such a manner that Search Engines like Google and MSN can find it, and understand it. A competent SEO firm will ensure that the guidelines detailed by the Search Engines are adhered too

arketing,” said Barry Byers, Co-Director of Training at Search Engine Academy Toronto, over the phone from the Toronto office.

“For many businesses simply “putting up” a web site is a major coup. They write a few pages of facts about the company. They hire a web site designer to add some graphics and bingo! They are online,” said Byers. Indeed, it sounds simple, right?

It’s so simple that 55% of Canadian businesses have a website. A November 2005 Report from Statistics Canada states that in 2004 total online sales, by private firms, reached an estimated $26.5 billion.

So, what’s next for these businesses to do? “They then sit back and wait for the business to pour in. Then, wait some more. Only to realize that the time and money they invested is not paying off,” said Byers.

So what is the problem? “Just because you build a web site it does not mean they will come,” he says. “The programming used to write your web site has to be “coded” in such a manner that Search Engines like Google and MSN can find it, and understand it. A competent SEO firm will ensure that the guidelines detailed by the Search Engines are adhered too

and bingo! They are online,” said Byers. Indeed, it sounds simple, right?

It’s so simple that 55% of Canadian businesses have a website. A November 2005 Report from Statistics Canada states that in 2004 total online sales, by private firms, reached an estimated $26.5 billion.

So, what’s next for these businesses to do? “They then sit back and wait for the business to pour in. Then, wait some more. Only to realize that the time and money they invested is not paying off,” said Byers.

So what is the problem? “Just because you build a web site it does not mean they will come,” he says. “The programming used to write your web site has to be “coded” in such a manner that Search Engines like Google and MSN can find it, and understand it. A competent SEO firm will ensure that the guidelines detailed by the Search Engines are adhered too

ion.

So, what’s next for these businesses to do? “They then sit back and wait for the business to pour in. Then, wait some more. Only to realize that the time and money they invested is not paying off,” said Byers.

So what is the problem? “Just because you build a web site it does not mean they will come,” he says. “The programming used to write your web site has to be “coded” in such a manner that Search Engines like Google and MSN can find it, and understand it. A competent SEO firm will ensure that the guidelines detailed by the Search Engines are adhered too

build a web site it does not mean they will come,” he says. “The programming used to write your web site has to be “coded” in such a manner that Search Engines like Google and MSN can find it, and understand it. A competent SEO firm will ensure that the guidelines detailed by the Search Engines are adhered too when programming (or reprogramming) a web site.” Using CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) is a highly recommended method of programming websites.

Enter the next generation of Witch Doctors. They call themselves “Internet Marketers” or “Search Engine Marketers” or “a SEO” (a Search Engine Optimizer). They are the Merlins of the Internet who claim that their hocus pocus techniques can take you from Internet obscurity to financial freedom. How?

Imagine how many widgets you could sell if your site was listed on the first page of www.google.ca. If the SEO does their job right your web site can vault towards the top of the “Organic Listings” (as apposed to the Sponsored Ads) on the Search Engines.

Big whoop? There were 19,888,000 visitors to the top 100 Internet properties in Canada in December 2005 (data from COM Score Networks). What could just a 1% share of that traffic to your website do to your business? More like a big whoopee.

“If there is a great deal of competition using SEO techniques for your product or service, it may not be easy to get to the top of the Organic Listings,” said Byers. In which case, rather than a cost of $1,000 to $4,000