Small businesses must keep content current

WATERLOO - An up-to-date website is increasingly critical for the success of a small business, recent statistics show.
More than 22 million adult Canadians in 2010 - or 80% - use the Internet to peruse goods and services, and shop online, concludes a Statistics Canada Canadian Internet Use Survey.

In 2009, Canadians ordered nearly $15.1 billion worth of goods and services online..

39% of Canadians aged 16 and over placed more than 95 million orders on e-commerce web sites in 2009.

"This illustrates how important it is for a small business to have a website that is easy to read and has current information," says Rob Matlow, a web development specialist with REM Web Solutions, based in Waterloo. "People will surf the Internet and make purchasing decisions before they even leave their home."

Business owners who update their website regularly say that it makes a difference.

"Our products require a large degree of technical detail, and we wondered how we could create a web site that we would be able to update easily and efficiently without sacrificing professional design and how visitors interacted with it." said Brian Astl, President of Lind Equipment.

Astl uses WebWiz@rd, an easy to use program developed by REM specifically for small to medium sized businesses.

Traditional websites require businesses to hire a webmaster to make changes. But WebWiz@rd empowers business owners to make changes to their website content themselves - any time they need to.

For more information about opportunities for small businesses to manage their own website and the importance of maintaining up-to-date content, contact:

Rob Matlow
REM Web Solutions
PHONE: 519-884-4111 or Toll Free: 1-866-754-4111
www.remwebsolutions.com

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Stats Can May/Sept 2010