SEO is not new. It began in the mid 1990s. Today SEO is hot – and everyone seems to be doing it. And… depending on whom you ask, the definition of SEO can vary greatly.

Web Developers may describe it as building a “Search Engine Friendly” website. In other words, a site design that allows Search Engines to crawl and index content on the site. It could also mean installing a SEO module that allows for Title Tags, Meta Descriptions and Keywords to be implement in a site’s code. Content creators that do “SEO”, may develop new relevant content for a website. And… then there are Webmasters. SEO can simply be submitting various XML sitemaps to the major Search Engines. The list goes on and on….

So what exactly is SEO?

According to Wikipedia, their definition is as follows…

“Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the visibility of a website or a web page in search engines via the “natural” or un-paid (“organic” or “algorithmic”) search results. In general, the earlier (or higher ranked on the search results page), and more frequently a site appears in the search results list, the more visitors it will receive from the search engine’s users. SEO may target different kinds of search, including image search, local search, video search, academic search, news search and industry-specific vertical search engines.”

While we don’t disagree with Wikipedia’s definition our favourite is from Jill Whalen from High Rankings.

“Search Engine Optimization – Making a website be the best it can be for the search engines as well as the site visitors. (This is High Rankings official definition!)”

While “Search” is key to finding anything on the web, it is web visitors that convert (they buy, sign-up, join etc…) – not Search Engines. We believe websites should be built for people (first and foremost) – taking Search Engines into consideration during the development process.

WebFuel’s official definition, however, takes it one step further (beyond just the website).

“SEO” stands for “Search Everything Optimization”.

We believe that anything that can appear in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) should be optimized. This, of course, includes Social Media.

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What is SEO, Really? is a post from: SEO Ottawa | Search Engine Optimization and Internet Marketing Agency | WebFuel

We predict that the use of Search will only continue to grow in 2012. Search On!

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How the World Googled in 2011 is a post from: SEO Ottawa | Search Engine Optimization and Internet Marketing Agency | WebFuel

During Giving Back Month the folks at WebFuel have decided to use our Social Media for Social Good. We believe that Social Media is an incredible tool that can be used the change the world around us. It can help share a story. Increase awareness about an initiative. Influence the community around you. Raise money. Its reach, power, and versatility are incredible, and when used the right way, can make the world a better place.

We have invited a group of guest bloggers from local and national charities to tell us how they have used their Social Media for Social Good. Our first guest blogger in this series was Stacey Diffen-Lafleur who wrote about how The United Way Ottawa uses Social Media for Social Good. Next up Alexandra Reid tells us about how Big Brothers Big Sisters Ottawa is Using Social Media to make a difference.

Social Media for Social Good: Big Brothers Big Sisters Ottawa

Since its inception in 1970, Big Brothers Big Sisters has been an inherently social organization. Long before Social Media platforms began operating as virtual community centers, our locally focused and locally run programs were founded on the same principles that have now transferred into best practices in the Social Media space, namely community building and engagement.

There is nothing more fundamentally social than friendship, and while we believe that face-to-face interaction is vital to developing healthy bodies and minds in our young people today, technology can also play an important role in communication as well as initiating and maintaining healthy relationships.

As our organizational goals and those of Social Media align, it was only natural that we use these channels to develop the programs we’ve always provided on a deeper and wider scale. Our Ottawa chapter strives to be on the leading edge of the Big Brothers Big Sisters movement in Canada, and that includes adopting innovative technologies that allow our community to connect with us on their own terms.

Many of the young adults, youths and children suitable for our programs fall into the group widely known today as “Generation Y,” or the “Millennial generation.” The majority of the young people that fall into this category are so-called “digital natives,” which means they have never known a world without digital technology. Social Media has proven to be an excellent way of connecting with this tech-savvy demographic. They’re on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn sharing their experiences and asking questions about our organization, and so we’re on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn too, listening, answering and engaging.

Not to be boastful, but as a team of community-minded individuals, we do “get” what social really means. It does not mean aimlessly shouting press releases at our community, even if they are well disguised as tweets and status updates. It does mean listening and responding helpfully to our community’s inquiries and sharing appropriate and timely content that our community wants to hear about.

We’re also quite technologically savvy in our strategy, using Hootsuite to monitor Social Media streams for content shared by others, Google Reader to stay on top of blog posts and LinkedIn Answers relevant to our space and a wide range of analytics tools to track and measure our progress.

While staying on top of news in our space and finding appropriate opportunities to engage with our community isn’t exactly an easy job, Social Media has rewarded us in so many ways, we can’t imagine why anyone would be so silly as to ignore this valuable opportunity.

How, specifically, has Social Media helped us connect and build our community?

Social Media helps us establish relationships

Through monitoring Twitter streams, we find numerous people interested in learning more about our program and sharing their experiences. Even if these individuals aren’t in the Ottawa area, we reach out to them to answer their questions, start conversations and share their experiences on our channels. The simple act of listening bridges important relationships and gives confidence to those individuals that we truly believe in what we are advocating. Furthermore, sharing important stories demonstrates that we value and support their opinions and ideas as well. Listening and being supportive are virtues we encourage in our volunteers and so we must also practice them ourselves in the Social Media space.

But while our approach is genuine, it’s not entirely selfless. We are working to achieve specific goals by dedicating time to these platforms, and encouraging and then recruiting previously prospective volunteers is certainly a central goal if we are to continue moving our organization forward.

Social Media helps us maintain and develop relationships

Social Media has not only helped us recruit new volunteers, but also aided us in maintaining long lasting relationships that are vital to our success. In addition to volunteers, we also require consistent donations to continue running our programs. Social Media gives us the ability to open our doors completely and express our humanity online, while also allowing us to reach out to important financial supporters and develop those credible and trusting relationships that last.

Social Media helps us get our messages out

We also use Social Media to share our achievements, events and other news. To ensure a healthy balance, we follow the 80/20 rule, which suggests that just 20 percent of content shared by businesses and organizations is about themselves, while 80 percent is about others. Not only is this approach the most social, it’s also the most successful because it encourages reciprocal relationships whereby others feel encouraged to share our content, giving us the ability to tap into other communities and establish wider authority on our channels.

We also share our content creatively. Instead of simply tweeting the title of a press release, we engage response from our communities by asking questions and starting discussions around the content. Big Brothers Big Sisters’ Value of an Hour campaign, which exploded across Social Media channels nationwide, was proof that this approach works.

Social Media is also used to promote our upcoming events, such as Climb4KidsOttawa, a rock-climbing event to raise awareness and donations for Big Brothers Big Sisters Ottawa. Additionally, we start LinkedIn discussions, and ask questions through LinkedIn Answers and post our content as responses to relevant blog posts and news articles. There really is no end to how organizations can creatively share their content in ways that resonate with their audiences.

How do you use Social Media effectively and what are the benefits you have seen as a result of your efforts?

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada (BBBSC) is the leading child and youth serving organization providing mentoring programs across the country. Providing support to more than 1000 Canadian communities, our over 128 local agencies offer the service that the organization was founded on: One-to-One Matching. Men and women (age 18 or older) give of their time to become a mentor to a young person who can greatly benefit from having an adult role model to look up to.

Times change. Volunteers change. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada has also changed. In response to the different needs and demands of children, youth, and volunteers alike, we have created new programs to fit our changing society. Couples for Kids, Cross Gender Matching, In-School Mentoring, Big Bunch, and Kids ‘n’ Kops group programs (for those kids on the waiting lists), and the new Life Skills Program all provide a variety of opportunities for volunteering and support to children and youth.

Each local Big Brothers Big Sisters agency is responsible for responding to its own community’s needs, so please see what exciting and innovative programs are being offered at your local agency.

If you are thinking about becoming a Big Brother or Big Sister, contact your local agency.

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Social Media for Social Good: Big Brothers Big Sisters Ottawa is a post from: SEO Ottawa | Search Engine Optimization and Internet Marketing Agency | WebFuel

During Giving Back Month the folks at WebFuel have decided to use our Social Media for Social Good. We believe that Social Media is an incredible tool that can be used the change the world around us. It can help share a story. Increase awareness about an initiative. Influence the community around you. Raise money. Its reach, power, and versatility are incredible, and when used the right way, can make the world a better place.

We have invited a group of guest bloggers from local and national charities to tell us how they have used their Social Media for Social Good.Our first guest blogger in this series is Stacey Diffen-Lafleur who shares with us how The United Way Ottawa is using their Social Media for Social Good.

Social Media for Social Good: United Way Ottawa

We are always looking for ways to engage new audiences, to spread our reach and get their help to make our community better for everyone. We do this by sharing stories, demonstrating impact and making it easy for people to talk with us. Social Media has made a difference in our outreach strategy and how we engage people from across our city to make change happen.

Why are we using it? It’s a community conversation that everyone can contribute to and build on.

We’ve found that Social Media opens new doors for us. Since 2009 the team at United Way Ottawa has been using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Flickr to have a conversation.

Let me be clear, it’s not all about fundraising either. Our business is engagement. We use Social Media to demonstrate results, to share stories of the lives we’ve helped to change and to invite people to interact with us all with a goal of making our community stronger, healthier and safer for everyone.

Here are a couple of examples of where we’ve seen social media really make a difference.

Reaching out to up-and-coming leaders

Schmoozefest - an event run by our Next Generation Cabinet – recently celebrated six years with a complete sell-out. Money raised goes back into the community, again helping to make a difference in our community. How did we build a buzz about Schmoozefest? Via Twitter. And the people that came to schmooze got a lot more than they expected. Kelly Rusk, a member of Ottawa’s twitter community was there and shared her Schmoozefest experience through a post at Local Tourist Ottawa’s Blog.

And that’s just one aspect of social media supporting the work we do.

Bloggers are media too

We give bloggers the same access we give media, and we give them the same materials and same opportunities to meet and interview. And you know what? They like it. They write about us, they help us get the word out via the blogosphere about the work we are doing in and for our community.

QR Codes, offering more than just a quick read

QR (quick response) codes are another new way we are sharing stories of people who have had their lives changed through the help of United Way Ottawa. This year our print ads that feature people from our community contain a QR code that takes a reader directly to their story on our website, both written and in video format. What once was just a single view before the page is turned, is now generating traffic on our website and as a result, broadening our reach. Melissa’s story, a LiveWorkPlay program participant, has been scanned hundreds of times.

Twitter – a launch pad

Twitter remains one of my favourite ways to talk with people in Ottawa – and at the beginning I devoted a lot of time to building a following – both for my personal account and for @UnitedWayOttawa, our corporate account. Today the corporate account has its own momentum and has outpaced @TheStacey by several hundred followers. It is an instant channel to share daily campaign totals – which are retweeted regularly by news outlets and the general public. We use it to share lives changed too, these also get a lot of RTs. Everyone has a hand in helping us make change happen in our community.

Social Media helps us to educate our donors, partners and our community about how we are investing their gifts and the results we are working towards. Additionally, we use it to help other companies who are holding events, doing workplace campaigns, or soliciting other kinds of support like sponsorships, volunteers or gifts in kind.

Over the next few months we’ll be rolling out a new, fully-sponsored website, and building on a grant we’ve received from Google, we’re developing a Google AdWords campaign. I am certain that other channels will appear, and some may change, but one thing I know, the conversation about our community and the potential for everyone – no matter where they work or how they want to engage – to make it better will only grow. Social Media is where that conversation is happening, I invite everyone to join.

Stacey Diffin-Lafleur, Senior Director, Marketing at United Way Ottawa has more than 19 years of marketing experience and is one of Ottawa’s social media community pioneers. She gets the Internet, she gets communication and she gets the impact that conversations – online and off – can deliver for our community.

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Social Media for Social Good: United Way Ottawa is a post from: SEO Ottawa | Search Engine Optimization and Internet Marketing Agency | WebFuel

Although it seems like only yesterday that Jason Faber joined WebFuel as our Social Media Strategist, it has been over three and a half years! Where does the time go?

Jason started working with WebFuel as our go-to blogger while he was still studying at Bishops University and working as their Social Media Manager. Upon graduation he joined WebFuel full-time and has played an invaluable role in helping the company grow, driving our Social Media efforts, building our brand and being the face of WebFuel at dozens of events in Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto.

“Working at WebFuel has been a fantastic and fulfilling experience for me from day one,” says Jason. “Straight out of university I’ve been able to participate, contribute and have a real say in the growth of a company that I greatly respect – not just for the outstanding work they do in search but also for the ethical way they do it. The team at WebFuel has given me so many wonderful opportunities to work with great clients, contribute to great community causes as well as continually learn and enhance my search, social media, business and writing skills.”

While we are saying goodbye to Jason Faber today, we know that he will always be a big part of WebFuel and wish him all the best in the next chapter of his career.

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Saying A Fond Farewell To Jason Faber is a post from: SEO Ottawa | Search Engine Optimization and Internet Marketing Agency | WebFuel

That’s why here at WebFuel, December is Giving Back Month.

“Giving Back” Month is all about using Social Media for Social Good. We believe that Social Media is an incredible tool that can be used for much more than sharing photos of last weekend’s party on Facebook or Tweeting about your lunch. It can be used to share a story. To increase awareness. To influence the community around you. To raise money. Its reach, power, and versatility are incredible, and when used the right way, can change the world.

So this December, we are going to use our Social Media for Social Good. What does this mean? We will be using our Social Media networks and influence to promote local and national charities. Are you involved with a charity that could use a boost this holiday season? Contact us to learn more about how we can help you recruit volunteers, promote an event, raise money or anything to support you this month.

Furthermore, we have invited a group of guest bloggers from local and national charities to tell us how they have used their Social Media for Social Good! Stay tuned, they will be posted throughout the month.

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Giving Back Month: Using Social Media for Social Good is a post from: SEO Ottawa | Search Engine Optimization and Internet Marketing Agency | WebFuel

Thinking about this impressive and diverse lineup on my train ride into Toronto excites me, and I begin reading Seth Godin’s The Purple Cow for the second time in anticipation.

I arrive at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre shortly after 8am on this cold Tuesday morning to find hundreds of other marketers and salespeople eager to begin the day’s events. First up, Barbara Corcoran to talk about Sales Success and Personal Branding.

Barbara Corcoran

Real estate mogul and super sales woman Barbarara Corcoran takes the stage in a full yellow outfit, dancing Ellen style. Her energy gets the early morning crowd excited. Her topic of the day: Personal Branding. As she tells us her life story of New Jersey rags to New York City riches, Corcoran offers advice and lessons along the way. First, she stresses that perception creates reality. If you create the perception of success, and are confident with it, it will become a reality. Lesson 2 from Corcoran was that everybody wants what everybody else wants. Create demand, limit supply, and increase the price. Speaking like a true saleswoman. Next she tells us that you should always expand before you’re ready. It will act as a motivator for you to grow and succeed. She follows this by ruthlessly advising us to “Shoot the dogs early”. Give you employees clear objectives, provide support and then review after 3 months – and then cut the bottom 25%. “Complainers are toxic” she warns “They can bring down a whole team of positive leaders. Find them, and get rid of them.” Her next tip: know your strengths and your weaknesses – and then find someone who is amazing at all the things you’re bad at. She continues by discussing how competition and personal recognition are better motivators than money. Don’t grind your employees down too much. Hard work and competition is important, but fun is vital. Ensure that you foster a fun environment for your employees because fun leads to relaxation and relaxation leads to creativity.

Seth Godin

Next up is one of my favourite authors, speakers, bloggers and marketers: Seth Godin. To be honest, I consider the man a genius. Godin begins by talking about the great salesmen of our generation – Zig Zigglar, Steve Jobs, Richard Branson and even Don Draper. He says that guys like this changed how we sell. Sales used to be about 3 things: The transfer of information, transfer of brand and transfer of emotion. Today, we have the Internet. 80% of people that walk into a car dealership already know everything they want to know about a car. Transfer of information is no longer the duty of the salesperson. Neither is the transfer of brand. In a world where more is better, consumers are flooded with products. Have you developed an emotional attachment with your customers? If one day your product disappeared, would they notice? The record industry used to be perfect. Today there are more people listening to more music than ever before, but the industry is dying. We are seeing a revolution as big as we have ever seen before. Interruption marketing is done, today it is all about permission marketing. Are people expecting you message? Or are you springing it upon them?

Godin continues by delving into his well-known theory of Tribes. People like doing things with others. They don’t like to be average, but they also don’t like to be alone. Nike invented this theory of “tribes”. Before Nike, the long distance runner didn’t exist, really. But today there are literally millions of them. “The Beatles didn’t invent teenagers, they just showed up to lead them.” Godin says.”They did so by creating something new, something different. By creating art.” There are people out there waiting for you to lead them. Are you being boring? Are you following a script, or are you making your own map? Are you being an artist? “What is your Sgt Pepper?” Godin asks, referring to The Beatles.

In an online world, competence is no longer a scarce commodity. We all have access to the same information. For decades our education system has trained students to memorize. We have lost the ability to solve interesting problems. Go figure out something that no one has figured out before. People say that “failure is not an option” becuase they are afraid of it. By failing, you learn and get better at what you do. Don’t be afraid to take a chance on something.

“In times of radical change, the only people that win are the ones that are willing to do revolutionary acts” Godin says “What we need is for you to lead us. I hope you’ll do that.”

As always, Godin was thought provoking, motivating and inspirational. I highly recommend you go see him speak if given the opportunity, or read any one of his amazing best-sellers.

Keith Ferrazzi

Keith Ferrazzi is an expert in the field of building, and foster relationships and using them effectively. His outgoing nature and positivity captivates the crowd. He begins by talking about our reptilian brain, the part fo the human brains where fear comes from. The part that tells us we are not good enough or that we are going to fail. In today’s world, you are no longer selling a product – you are selling solutions to problems. Build your relationships early, and often. Ferrazzi praises tools such as LinkedIn to do so. Ferrazzi asks the crowd “Who has a to-do list?” Virtually everyone. “Okay, now who has a Personal Relationship list?” No one. Ferrzzi explains that you should keep a list of 5-10 people that you want to meet or get to know at all times.

Keith goes on to share with us his list of 7 missions to master relationships.

• Mission 1: Always ask who, no matter what the goal
• Mission 2: Prioritize your relationships. Are they very close to you, acquaintances, tarnished relationships? How can you leverage them?
• Mission 3: Expand your currency and do your homework. Make a connection right off the bat, and move forward from there.
• Mission 4: Skip over your prejudgement of people and find a way to care
• Mission 5: Build, develop, foster and grow your lifelong relationshi[ps
• Mission 6: Build your brand using Social tools such as LinkedIn, Google+, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
• Mission 7: Lead with generosity – sometimes the pinnacle of generosity is letting someone else help you.

Sally Hogshead

Sally is another positive upbeat presenter who captivated, and most importantly fascinated the crowd. And that’s what Sally spoke about – being fascinating. She explains that it is something that you are born with, not something you learn. You simply have to unlearn being boring. Your brain is hardwired to fascinate, and is hardwired to be fascinated. Fascination requires an intense emotional focus. It doesn’t matter that you are the best at something, if nobody notices you, if you are not fascinating them, then no one will care. The Internet has diminished our attention span as humans from about 2 minutes to 9 seconds. “Yes, we are all goldfish” she jokes. So that means that you have 9 seconds to make an impact, to be fascinating. “In marketing, stand out or don’t bother” she exclaims. “Boring messages just don’t waste money, but they hurt your brand. You can either innovate, or you can be comfortable. You can’t do both.”

Hogshead then delves into the seven ways that you can captivate and fascinate someone.

1. Power is all about authority and control
2. Passion is about connecting through emotion
3. Mystique is about arousing curiosity
4. Prestige is about increasing respect
5. Alarm is about highlighting the negatives by creating urgency
6. Rebellion is about taking the status quo, and turning it to find a different way to interpret the facts
7. Trust operates differently than the other six becuase they can be performed instantly, but trust takes time and effort and care.

Jerry Greenfield
The final speaker fo the day was Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream co-founder Jerry Greenfield. Mr. Greenfield, a very pleasant and soft spoken man, told the story of how he and his old friend Ben stumbled into the Ice Cream business, and the challenges they faced along the way. The two rebellious non-students loved food and found a niche in the college town of Burlington Vermont. An admitted “hippy”, Greenfield discussed their strategy and emotions as they became businessmen, something that they despised growing up. They didn’t want to become just another cog in the economic machine. That’s where Ben and Jerry’s corporate responsibility came in. “We’re not about making money for ourselves” Greenfield says “Yes we have been successful, but we made the most effort to share that success with our community.

Greenfield tells a charming story that ended up defining the Ice Cream company in today’s society. When they will still relatively small in the mid-1970s, Ben and Jerry’s had just been picked up by a few larger distributers in New England. One day their largest distributer came to them with some grim news. Pillsbury, who owned Haagen Dazs (the world’s largest ice cream brand) told them that if they did not stop carrying Ben and Jerry’s that they would drop them. Fiscally, the distributer had to listen to Pillsbury, despite the fact that they loved Ben and Jerry’s. The team laughed at this, and wondered why this food giant was scared of two hippies out of Vermont, and in true hippy form they protested. They started a campaign called “What is the Dough Boy Afraid of?. They printed this on tshirts which they sold for $10 a piece, on their ice cream containers, flew it behind banner planes, etc. It became somewhat of a viral campaign, similar to Wendy’s “Where’s the Beef?” It proved wildly successful and eventually Haagen Dazs backed down. Greenfield says that was the moment they knew that they were doing something special. Make an amazing product, put your face on it, support your community and be transparent. That is how you become successful.

All in all it was a great day full of inspiration and takeaways. I left The Art of Sales with many questions and thoughts as I walked into the cold Toronto streets. I’m looking forward to applying many of these skills and tactics as well as reading all of the amazing books published by these accomplished authors.

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The Art of Sales Toronto Recap is a post from: SEO Ottawa | Search Engine Optimization and Internet Marketing Agency | WebFuel

Guest Post by James Katz

As commerce over the Internet gains momentum, the economic value of Domain Names will continue to increase. This economic value is derived from the Domain Name owner’s exclusive right to direct traffic to that Domain Name’s corresponding website, to exclude anyone else from using the same Domain Name, and from the fact that no one else can register the same Domain Name at the same time. Put another way, Domain Names have economic value due to their desirability (i.e. their ability to help guide traffic to their owner’s Internet site) and their scarcity (no two Domain Names in the same registry system are identical). It is because of this recognized economic value and the rights given to Domain Name owner’s that Canadian Court’s have recently confirmed what most businesses with a presence on the Internet already knew: that Domain Names are a form of personal property, and as such, can be used, managed and leveraged like any other asset of a business.

Like other types of personal property, Domain Names are often the subject of ownership disputes between parties. A cost effective and quick way for a complainant to seek redress is to rely on the private arbitration systems put in place by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (“ICANN”), which regulated the popular dot-com, dot-org, dot-net, dot-info and other registry systems, or the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (“CIRA”), which administers Canada’s own dot-ca system. In all cases, owners of Domain Names (termed “registrants”) are required, as a condition of ownership of the Domain Name, to submit to and be bound by these dispute resolution processes.

As alluded to in my blog post back in August, CIRA’s dispute resolution policy was recently amended to more closely mirror that of ICANN’s policy. So, since August of this year, both dispute resolution policies can now be used to cancel or transfer the registration of Internet Domain Names that a complaining party successfully proves were registered in bad faith. Under both systems, in order for a complainant to succeed, it must prove a) that it has rights in and to the trade-name or trade-mark that comprises the Domain Name at issue; b) that the offending Domain Name is confusingly similar or identical to the complainant’s trade-name or trade-mark; c) that the registrant of the offending Domain Name has no legitimate interest in the Domain Name; and d) that the registration of the offending Domain Name was done in bad faith.

The threshold element for exerting ownership over a Domain Name is demonstrating to the arbitration panel that you have acquired and maintained trade-mark rights in the words that make up the Domain Name itself. This means that you will have to prove that the words that you are seeking a monopoly over act to distinguish your business’ wares and services from those of others in the marketplace. In Canada this is most easily accomplished by registering your trade-marks with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO). Once a business has a registered trade-mark, the registration acts as prima facie proof that the trade-mark in question is valid, and is the property of the registered owner.

Although registration of a trade-mark is not a prerequisite to being successful in a Domain Name dispute, proving that you have acquired “common law” trade-mark rights will require that you, as the complainant, file additional evidence, such as proof of sales and other sensitive business information, with the adjudicating body.  This will also add to the time and expense required to make out your claim, which will far outweigh the fairly low cost of obtaining and maintaining a registered Canadian Trade-Mark.

The lesson is therefore clear:  if you are serious about properly controlling your business’ Internet presence, you should, at the very least, register your business name as a trade-mark in Canada.  Even with only a Canadian Registered Trade-Mark you will be more easily able to secure ownership over a confusingly similar Domain Name held by persons in other countries.

It also goes without saying that protecting your online presence should also include purchasing all available Domain Names that are, either by how they are sounded or appear, closely resemble your trade-name or trade-mark.  Given that Domain Names can often be secured for a nominal fee, there really is no downside to putting this type of protection in place as soon as you contemplate an online business presence.

One final note on this topic: using the dispute resolution procedures set out by either CIRA or ICANN is not your only remedy should you have a Domain Name dispute.  Depending on the facts of a given case, the Superior Courts of the provinces (such as the Ontario Superior Court of Justice) will adjudicate Domain Name disputes, just as the Courts will adjudicate over any other dispute concerning property.  In fact both CIRA and ICANN policies allow for this to take place, and those organizations will defer to the judgment of the Court.  The major drawback to initiating Court proceedings to rule on a Domain Name ownership issue is the higher cost associated with launching a Court action (relative to proceeding under CIRA’s or ICANN’s policies), the length of time it takes to achieve a result (often many months or years), and the danger of having to pay the other side’s legal costs should your claim be rejected by the Court.

In closing, unlocking your online business potential includes understanding the ownership rights and potential of your Domain Name, so that, if needed, you can properly exert those rights in order to protect your online business presence.

James Katz is a lawyer with the Ottawa law firm BrazeauSeller LLP. His practice focuses primarily on Internet, Social Media and Trade-Marks law.

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Domain Name Disputes: From a Canadian Perspective is a post from: SEO Ottawa | Search Engine Optimization and Internet Marketing Agency | WebFuel

As the Search Strategist for WebFuel, I respond to the company’s SEO inquires and unfortunately hear many horror stories. As a result, I work more and more on resolving serious Search issues on behalf of newly acquired clients. Most of the time, what has been done from a SEO perspective (previous to hiring us) is a mystery. So…. like a Search Detective, I work to solve the case.

Here are the top most startling Search issues.

1. Not in the Google Index (at all)
   This sadly happens too often. We have had to resolve this type of Search issue more than any other – and it is serious. The most common reason is that the client did not have a Search Engine Friendly website built. In other words, the Search Engines cannot crawl their site. This means no indexation – and they will NOT show up in a Google SERP (Search Engine Results Page). You should hear the client’s blood curdling scream when this is brought to light.

2. Disappearing from Organic Search
   This is horrifying!!! One day key high-ranking web pages, or even worse, an entire website, no longer appears in Google SERPs. And… even more terrifying, this is often not noticed for quite a while as no one is even monitoring this.

3. Wrong Geographic Area (not your target location)
   Yikes!!! We see many variations of this frightening issue. Canadian businesses targeting the United States – Google.com but appearing in Google Canada (Google.ca). This requires lots of expertise to resolve (not simply hiring an American SEO Agency). Or… equally disastrous, Canadian companies whereby the target location is Canada – and Google displays their search results in the USA on Google.com. At the local level, Search Engine repositioning is required due to wrong city (i.e. Nepean Search rather than an Ottawa Search) or not entire geo-graphic region (i.e. province).

4. Stolen Web Traffic(that should belong to you)
   This issue is rarely known by the website owner (how chilling) – and only discovered when we audit the account. The most popular perpetrators are the client’s competitors (or the agency that was hired by the competitor), the business themselves (due to a poor online strategy) – and the worst violation, in my opinion, a third party supplier for the client. We have seen a huge increase in this type of scenario over the past year. The 3^rdparty vendor steals (and some are big well-known brands) your web traffic in order to improve their results on your behalf.

5. Bad SEO (Black Hat Techniques)
   Call it bad SEO practices or unethical standards it’s quickly becoming the norm (now that is scary). In our SEO Audits, we have discovered keyword stuffing, hidden text, duplicate content, cloaking, doorway pages, improper use of redirects and extremely questionable linking strategies – including invisible links on a page and inbound links from bad neighbourhoods (how creepy!!!).
   This is mostly due to the inexperience of the Search Engine Optimizer and simply not understanding the complexly of SEO.  But we also see many cases whereby the SEO strategy is based on intentionally “tricking” the Search Engines. This is known as “Black Hat” techniques. The real horrifying story here is businesses most don’t know that they have hired a Black Hat SEO Agency.

6. Keywords Scams, Myths & Issues
   This list is endless… SEOs selling organic keywords “you can buy these two”, rank for keywords that no one searches for, translating researched keywords from English into French (this doesn’t work) or hiring an agency that also works for your keyword competitors (no non-compete clause or they don’t honour it).

7. Google Ban (Organic & Paid)
   This is the worst horror story from our perspective. Not adhering to, or in compliance with AdWords policies resulting in a permanently suspended account. Yes – this means no Ads on Google. Or likely an even worse nightmare, violating Google Webmaster Guidelines – and getting banned from Organic Search. As a result, your website no longer appears for branded & non-branded keywords. You are now invisible in a Search!

Got your own SEO horror stories? Please share your chilling tales.

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SEO Horror Stories: From a Canadian Perspective is a post from: SEO Ottawa | Search Engine Optimization and Internet Marketing Agency | WebFuel

What is a Google Places Page?

 Formally known as Google Local Business Center, Google Places is like the Yellow Pages of the Internet. Think of it like a Google local web page or an online listing of your business. This local listing can display information about your business in text, image & video format and is tied into Google Maps. According to Google, 97% of consumers search for local businesses online. And… over the past year, the Search Engine’s local algorithm in Canada has resulted in more visibility for local organic search results on Google.ca.

Google Places and Google Maps appear in a Google SERP in the organic section. It’s important to understand the placement. In a previous blog post, we addressed the layout of a Canadian Google Search Engine Results Page in terms of Organic Search vs. Paid Search as well as where the engine displays Google Maps and Places. It is very prominent. Check it out if you require better understanding.

With Halloween just around the corner, and people searching for pumpkin picking farms in Ottawa, we decided to feature a local Places page.

Here is an example of a Local Ottawa Google Places Listing:

Google Canada Place Profile for a Pumpkin Farm in Ottawa

Business Information Section
This section is ideally provided by the business owner. It includes the name of the business, relevant categories, a short description, address, website and photo number. A web visitor can phone you, visit your website for more information and get directions via Google Maps (Canada).

Photo Section
Business owners and Google users can upload photos. These photos generally include storefront, products sold and people behind the business. They must, of course, follow Google’s guidelines. Videos can also be uploaded.

Review Section
“What people are saying” about your business in a review format falls under this section. Reviewers must have a Google account to post. Owners have the ability to respond to positive as well as negative reviews.

Related Content Section
Related places that appear in this area of your profile are generated by Google. It’s based on the Google Places algorithm. Google displays other related Places pages in your geographic area. If you are positioned properly in Local Search, you will also appear on your competitor page in this section.

Google Maps Section
This section is also generated by the Search Engine based on your Places listing. Google displays a street view with a map icon to indicate your location. Web visitors can click on the map for a large view and get directions by car, bus, walking or by bike (if applicable).

Google Ads Section
Unlike your listing that is free, this section is for paid ads. This is where Google Ads (known as AdWords) are displayed. While you cannot remove these ads, you can certainly place your text ads on Places Pages.

How does this relate to SEO?
From a SEO perspective, your Google Places profile page can give you visibility in the SERPs beyond your website. Think of it as an additional web property. Depending on your industry, and relevancy from a Google perspective, your Places listing can even outrank your website based on a local branded geo-search. You can also rank in Places for generic searches based on related local non-branded keyword queries. And… your business listing can send you qualified web traffic via the inbound link on your page (SEOs’ love this!).

Your business can also appear on other Places pages under related places and/or in the ads section. From our perspective, this means more visibility in local search!

At least 20% of Canadian searches are local. People search Google.ca and Google Maps to find local businesses. Claim it, optimize it, monitor it -and measure it!

Can you get found?

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SEO & The Anatomy of a Google Places: From a Canadian Perspective is a post from: SEO Ottawa | Search Engine Optimization and Internet Marketing Agency | WebFuel