Is SEO the fastest growing market in Winnipeg?

Search engine optimization or SEO is quickly becoming common speak among business owners in Winnipeg when looking at where to allocate their precious dollars for marketing. For those who've heard the term, but still do not fully understand the process, here is a simple explanation.

SEO is the process of placing a company's website top of the search engines such as Google or Yahoo, for keywords that a consumer would type in when looking for a product or service. In the past, the Yellow Pages provided consumers a quick reference point when locating a business categorized by their industry/service. Now, over 85% of people just Google what they need and normally choose among the top few websites that first appear on the search page to fill their need.

Since its the job of an SEO company to position their clients in a place of high visibility, you'd naturally assume that an SEO company that is any good would accomplish the same for their own website. Therefore, I typed in "seo Winnipeg" to see who came up as the leader. I found Fresh Traffic Group and decided to call them to talk with someone there about this growing industry in Winnipeg's business community.

President Jerry Booth was gracious enough to take time out of his day to answer a few questions.

Me: "Can you give me a sense of the competition in your industry?"

Booth: "When I chose to open shop in Canada, I chose Winnipeg based on a business partner I had worked with for the past 5 years that lives just outside the city. When we launched there were about 3 other companies that offered SEO services... today there are over 190."

Me: "Wow! How has this effected your business?"

Booth: "Its created a serious watered-down effect. The market in Winnipeg are quite confused as a whole on what true SEO work looks like. Its not just a matter of putting a few titles and tags in the code of your website or writing blogs and tweeting. Most the companies in this city have limited experience performing true SEO, and are simply capitalizing on the knowledge gap of the average business owner. In fact, a major ad agency in the city openly admitted to me they don't know what they are doing, and when I asked why they offer the service, they said they're in it for the money."

Me: "That seems a little scary."

Booth: "It is. In fact, I've sat down with almost every major ad agency in this city offering our assistance in SEO. We are not a traditional marketing company, so often we will partner with agencies to manage the SEO portion of their client's marketing mix. There was tremendous interest in each meeting I attended; however, all that's materialized since is a new tab on these agencies websites now offering SEO to their clients. Whether they can deliver is another matter."

Me: "Is the growth in this industry a threat to your success?"

Booth: "Yes and no. The growth in the market has created a lot more awareness to the Winnipeg business owner on the importance of investing in the visibility of their brand online. The threat is that many that are offering the service are under-delivering and leaving a bad taste in the mouth of Winnipeggers. And, typical of Winnipeg, are trying to compete by offering the lowest price to get the sale. Most will find out you get what you pay for. We are top of search for our services in Winnipeg, and we'll remain there proving we can deliver. In time, as the business owner better understands our service, they'll realize that the SEO company at the top of Google is the one to use...why? Because we've proven our ability in our own position.

It was interesting to learn more about this industry. I've been in advertising sales and marketing my entire career, but feel even while still young, I sometimes feel the whole internet thing is quickly passing me by. I know enough to know that I am best to put more time into understanding the power of branding based on a strong internet marketing mix vs. the traditional forms of media that seem to be falling to near extinction.

The internet is here to stay. What is your strategy to remain relevant in how you market your business and services as we enter 2010?

CentrePort Canada - The Brand

I recently went on to Google to learn more about the CentrePort Canada project. Like any average web user I typed in a search term that I thought would quickly bring me the most releveant information. I typed in "centreport". I thought the first website listed would be for CentrePort Canada, but what I found instead were a host of other CentrePorts around the world.

I assumed that CentrePort Canada was unique in its name, considering the magnitude of the project. However, when you type in "centreport" on Google, you'll find that there is Centerport in New Zealand and one also in Fort Worth Texas. There was even a hotel listed in Nice, France that uses the name. Hmm... So then I thought I would try the term "inland port." This unveiled even more websites around the world from an inland port in Mexico to Kansas City's SmartPort to many others.

I wonder if CentrePort Canada Inc. realize the competition they have in building their brand on the web?

I'm sure I am not the only person around the globe that is seeking further information about the project. How about taxpayers in Manitoba trying to understand exactly where their money is going? Brands are built and broken on Google, whether you are selling widgets, a tourist destination or an inland port. What opportunities are they missing from interested parties searching for information from around the world?

It wasn't until I came to page 23 of Google, for the term "centreport" that I finally came across the official site for Centreport Canada. And page 46 for the term "inland port." I don't know about you, but normally I tend to look at the first page, and maybe....maybe the second page of search.

It doesn't take a degree in Marketing to determine that the team heading Winnipeg's inland port project put little value in what the internet can do to build a brand and drive investor interest. Hopefully the recent addition to their team, Riva Harrison, Executive Director of Marketing and Communications, will see there is life beyond Brandon.

It's your turn Winnipeg.

Winnipeg Real Estate Investments "Pretty Good?"

Winnipeg businesses and Winnipeggers should be embarrassed by yesterday's article in the Free Press about our local real estate investment market. The story shed light on the poor job done to date on educating national markets on the opportunities in Winnipeg.

MMPI Canada, a tradeshow/seminar management company, have committed to holding a one-day real estate investment forum next April, the first since the company was established in 1992. If you go to their website, you'll see portfolios for many of the major cities in Canada, except Winnipeg or anywhere in Saskatchewan. I'm sure no one will find it hard to believe this company is headquartered out of Toronto, the centre of the world. These seminars are for the purpose of attracting real estate brokers, investors, lenders and property owners from around the country; so why has it taken 18 years to finally get their attention? Haven't we been Selling Winnipeg to the World for some time now?

What I found striking in the article was the comment by Ken Yee, senior executive VP at Cushman & Wakefield Brokerage services, about the impact the seminar will have on those attending, "...I think some of them are going to walk away saying, 'Wow that's pretty good." Yep, leave it to Winnipeggers to really get excited about opportunities to grow as a city and province.

Also, a question of accountability really comes into play when reading the comment by Don White, chairman of the Winnipeg REALTORS Commercial Division, "The Winnipeg market is under-reported on and misunderstood." Why? Who is accountable for this failure?

The other question I have: "where do interested parties go for information on Winnipeg's real estate market?" Should they go to the WCC website, or maybe the "work" section of Destination Winnipeg's site? Hey, how about to the WinnipegREALTORS home site, or the "LivingManitoba.ca" site that is in replacment of the Spirited Energy campaign. Oh... you haven't heard of this? Neither has anyone else.

Maybe our market is misunderstood because we fail to provide a unified channel on the internet delivering the value proposition for doing business here. Winnipeg should look at investing in their "virtual real estate," that is investing in positioning the message of Winnipeg in prominent positions on the serach engines. Whether it be a business looking for options of expansion or skilled workers looking for a place to relocate, each turn to the internet for their due diligence. Through consolidation of all these related websites mentioned above, and through investment into search engine position, Winnipeg can build the brand that will sell the world.

It's time to strive for more than "pretty good." It's your turn Winnipeg.

Yellow Pages Losses Lead to Attempt at Local Search

The Yellow Pages Income Fund announced continued losses in the third quarter due to continued drops in revenue from print advertising. This has prompted the company to move outside their expertise and water-down the SEO industry further by offering advertising packages that would do more to target local search.

To give you an idea of how far removed the Yellow Pages are from being Search Marketers, CEO Mark Tellier was reported as saying, "I think we're going to see a trend in the Internet, broadly speaking, to go more local." Going to see? Has Mr. Tellier ever done a search in his local market for anything before?

For example, if you type in "Winnipeg SEO Expert" on Google.ca, one of the primary search results you receive are Google Maps results. Duh? These are local search results! Not to mention that Google has been geo-targeting a users IP address since 2005, providing users search results relative to their geographic location.

If you are a Winnipeg business, and are still one of dinosaurs that thinks the Yellow Pages are used by your common consumer - WAKE UP! The Yellow Pages are out of their realm moving into this market, and are being driven by their revenue losses. They're old, they're dated. And, members of the Winnipeg agency that is responsible for selling Yellow Pages advertising in the city openly admit the company does not know how to SEO.

If you want to be top of the search engines, hire an SEO company, not a print company.

It's your turn Winnipeg.

Winnipeg Businesses Confusing Media

Winnipeg businesses seem to be extremely confused in the use of media lately.

Yesterday I was driving down Marion Street and saw an ad for the Manitoba division of the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters. The billboard has some guy on it next to a globe with the words "Dare to Compete.ca" in huge letters. Now the only reason I knew it was the CME was because I have met with the association recently regarding their marketing direction, and am familiar with their new website and branding. However, to the common person driving past this sign, it would be very difficult to determine that it is an ad for CME. Why? Because all text about the CME is in very small print, where the focus is on the website address.

Here in lies the confusion.

It seems that the majority of businesses in Winnipeg, and other markets in general, are now using their radio, outdoor and print ads to drive people to their websites. This is not a good use of a company's precious marketing dollars.

If a company feels the best chance they have to capture new business is to get consumers to their website to learn more about them and their services, than why not invest in the actual form of marketing that specifically serves this purpose - Search Marketing.

Search marketing or search engine optimization (SEO) is the practice of making a website directly relevant to the terms a company wants their brand associated with. For example, if I sell pool tables in Winnipeg, than I'd want to list high on the search engines when someone types in "pool tables Winnipeg." SEO investment ensures that you are placing your company's website in a position of high visibility to consumers actively in the market for your products and services.

The Winnipeg business community are too conditioned to stop using traditional media, even when they see that the best opportunity for them to capture new business is through their website. And I know this because every radio ad you hear now ends with a company's web address; every print and outdoor ad has their website address as a prominent component of the ad.

Winnipeggers, stop wasting your money! If you feel you the internet provides your business the greatest opportunity for growth, than invest in an SEO campaign that will push your website into a position of high visibility on the search engines. Use your radio ads to expand your brand through jingles or to highlight sales events. Use your billboards and print to shout the name of your company and something unique about your business, but whatever you do, quit spending copious amounts of money on old media to push new media.

It's your turn Winnipeg! Embrace the sales that exists for your brand on page one of Google.

Winnipeg Business Still Trying to Roll A Square

When will Winnipeg & Manitoba's so called business leaders learn you cannot role a square?

Armed with large federal and provincial budgets, they go about trying to educate the world of our wears. This my friends is not done by painting a bus that travels up and down Portage Avenue, nor having the biggest billboard in the city, nor advertising with all the local radio stations and newspapers. Why? Because no one beyond Brandon will ever see or hear about it. Still we shovel the same crap to the same old companies doing the same old stuff and we wonder why people don't take us seriously or why no one has ever heard of Winnipeg.

Times have changed and Winnipeg business you will have to as well. I know some of you have websites now, built by people who have won awards in Manitoba. Awards are great and all, but results are what pay the bills, and an all singing website that no one sees only wins awards not customers.

Today 90% of people globally use the internet to find, buy and/or research before any purchase or investment. If you cannot be found, you lose. Its that simple.

Stop trying to role a square. The wheel has been invented - it's round and works much better. Okay... maybe all your old pals you usually work with have not got a website yet or they are still trying to fathom how it works, but in the meantime, business generated by the net is passing you by, forcing you to work 10 times as hard to catch up once you wake up to the new world.

Don't be embarrassed to say you don't know. Don't be ashamed to use someone who does. And certainly don't be shy to spend all that government, tax payer money where your going to get the best return - with a proven SEO company.

The old school cannot have it's own way anymore, they are stopping progress. What for? Personal gain. They choose to agree on nothing until the divi's are worked out to everyone's favour. But what about the people, the city, the province, the tax payers?

Winnipeg, it is time to get some BALLS, stand up, be counted and instead of doing what's familar, do what works.

It's your turn Winnipeg.

Canada’s first Foreign Trade Zone

The federal and Manitoba governments recently announced that they would put aside $3.5million to fund the start-up and operational costs of CentrePort Canada in Manitoba – Canada’s first Foreign Trade Zone. This is big news that has long-term potential for the country, because the port will promote Canada’s competitive advantages, including the National Gateway Strategy.

The federal and provincial governments are partnering to create within CentrePort a one-stop shop for transportation, international trade and value-added manufacturing – a pilot project called the Canada-Manitoba CentrePort International Business Development Project.

There’s also the new Pan-Western Outreach Program a pilot project aimed at raising awareness in business circles about Canada’s programs and policies supporting international trade, with a focus on marketing foreign trade zone-type programs, such as the ones being coordinated and delivered through CentrePort.

As Canada’s first Foreign-Trade Zone, CentrePort will give international companies the option of shipping their out-bound goods to Manitoba, where they can be stored without additional duty costs, before being shipped to consumers in the United States. This is part of an economic agenda to position Canada as an attractive destination for international business investors.

CentrePort comprises 8,093 hectares in Winnipeg, anchored by the James A. Richardson International Airport, one of the busiest cargo hubs in the country. The new zone brings together Manitoba’s existing transportation assets, including the airport, three intercontinental rail lines – CN, CP, and Burlington Northern Santa Fe – more than 1,000 for-hire trucking companies, the Port of Churchill and the Emerson border crossing to the U.S.

A year ago, CentrePort was created under Manitoba Premier Gary Doer – Canada’s next Ambassador the U.S. – when the provincial legislature unanimously passed the CentrePort Canada Act, creating CentrePort, a private sector-led corporation.

Since then, major infrastructure investments have taken place, including $212.5 million for CentrePort Canada Way, a four-lane divided expressway announced by Prime Minister Harper to increase speedy access for moving goods to the U.S.

This package of investments and policies – from marketing to infrastructure to funding – is a comprehensive approach that will be required for Canada to compete internationally. It will help bring Canada on par with other countries that have inland ports and gateways that are hubs for export-oriented job creation.

In an era when labour and business don’t often agree about trade policy, and political parties fight over infrastructure funding, supporters of CentrePort have spoken with one voice. Stakeholders from the Manitoba Federation of Labour have worked together to bring the inland port to life. The federal Conservatives and provincial New Democrats have collaborated to get shovels in the ground. As a result, CentrePort Canada is off to a good start as a model for integrated trade and transportation policy that could spark new economic development in Canada.

Human Rights Museum's Patrick O'Reilly Just Doing His Job

The Canadian Museum for Human Rights continues to get mixed press, with the latest being an attempt to somewhat villianize Patrick O'Reilly for his recent travel bill in promoting the museum to international markets. Anytime the new museum is mentioned in a group of people, you can pretty much divide the opinions down the middle - those that believe in its future success and those that only see tax dollars being spent. The $28,000 tab reportedly spent by the museum COO shares this same scrutiny.

I myself have had the pleasure of meeting Patrick O'Reilly on multiple occasions, and I can tell you first hand the man is all business, fuelled by his passion to make the museum a success both locally and globally.

Personally, I'd want the COO of Canada's first national museum outside of Ottawa to be sipping wine and eating cheese at a Bistro in Paris - as I'm sure there are many Winnipeggers who'd rather see him wearing a Jets jersey and eating roadside poutine. If we are to capture the essence of being a world-class facility, than we need to ensure that the people running and representing it are of the same class.

The Facebook posts were meant for close friends and family, who'd be less interested in the business he is doing versus the travel experience. Those posts were for their eyes and ears and have misrepresented his efforts. If there is any critisim it is that Mr. O'Reilly should have had better knowledge in keeping those posts from the public. In saying that, the main point is that they were not for the public, and we as the public should only be concerned with the results of his travels. Anyone who travels for business knows that downtime to enjoy the destination comes as a natural consequence and perk.

I am very confident that Mr. O'Reilly is using his time abroad wisely, helping to put the museum and Winnipeg on the global map.

Manitoba 1000 - Webidiotz

I heard on the radio today the advert for the Manitoba 1000 website, so I went on Google and searched "Manitoba 1000". Guess what website was not on page 1?

So I got around to thinking how is this website going to increase sales for Manitoba businesses when it cannot even list itself.... sounds fishy?

After a little bit of research I found the possible operator of this website is wanted by all sorts of people in the UK, the courts too, for monies he ripped off them.

His old company was called "One Move" here are some of the horror stories:

Neil Patel Story #1

Neil Patel Story #2

Neil Patel Story #3

Now I'm not sure if this is the same guy. and everyone is innocent until proven guilty, but the latest story says he owns "webidiotz" in Winnipeg.

If you checkout their address 2157 Henderson Highway, Winnipeg it belongs to a company called Ade & Co. who are Patent Agents. No business name is listed outside for a web design company, but a testimonial from Ade is on the website.... very confusing.

So if this guy is the same fast talking I'll make you rich shyster, Beware Manitoba! Don't be a Web Idiot.

Do your homework. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Winnipeg Culture Website a Waste

I must commend today's article by Morley Walker in the Free Press regarding the new cultural website promoting Winnipeg's designation as Canada's "cultural capital" for 2010. He nailed it on the head when saying "the trouble with a website...is...if you don't know it exists, you will never stumble upon it."

With all the potential that exists from being awarded this designation during a very popular point in the new millennium, you'd think more dollars would be allocated to the one tool that can drive qualified traffic and interest to Winnipeg - a highly visible website through effective search marketing. I find it very disheartening that when the Marketing Director of Destination Winnipeg is questioned on why more dollars were not allocated to the marketing of the site, she openly states that "we're going after low hanging fruit (ie. Grand Forks, Fargo)...People from Vancouver aren't coming here anyway."

Wow... that's optimism! Considering I personally know 3 different groups of friends here in Winnipeg that visited Vancouver this year alone, and that the entire Manitoba Homecoming 2010 event is dependant on travellers from around North America migrating back to Winnipeg, you'd think - at minimum - a more positive spin could have been placed on the limited dollars being allocated to the website.

What I can't seem to figure out is what the $60,000 allocated to this project was used for?

Considering there are very limited dollars in place to advertise the project (all mailed leaflets I might add) and the website itself on the high side should only be $10,000... where was the rest of the money allocated?

My guess is that it was evenly distributed amongst the same companies that continue to survive off the government grant money awarded to these half-ass efforts, making print brochures, charging copious amounts of money for content writing, and laughing all the way to the bank, with little concern for the success of the project other than just plastering up something for show. I'll be curious to see if there is any report in the future from DW on the membership levels they gained on the new site. I doubt it.

And I quote, "if you don't know it exists, you will never stumble upon it." There's a great big world out there Winnipeg, and those who know how to tap into it know. Hopefully egos will be put aside one day, and the companies that can truly deliver results will be awarded the honorable job of putting Winnipeg on the map.

It's your turn Winnipeg.