Frequently Asked Questions

General

1. How long has Canada’s Web Shop been in business?
2. Where is your head office?
3. What is an Internet Marketing company?
4. What is your definition of Internet findability?

How long has Canada’s Web Shop been in business?
Canada’s Web Shop has been in business since 1999. We were originally branded ClearOption Technologies (our legal name) and in 2007 we re-branded to Canada’s Web Shop
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Where is your head office?
Our head office is in Winnipeg, our location address is 90 Albert Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 1G2.
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What is an Internet marketing company?
An Internet marketing company is a provider that provides tactics to increase the visitation to your website and improve your overall brand awareness. All tactics are measured to calculate sales and lead conversion.
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What is Internet findability?
Internet findability is all aspects that go into our solution package to allow visitors to find your solution. Google is the primary driver of Internet findability, generally if your site is optimized for Google it will be optimized for the other search engines on the web.
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Internet Marketing

1. What aspects affect your positioning on Google
2. What is Google Ad-words and do other search engines provide similar pay per click advertising?
3. What is Google Ad-sense?
4. What is a Google dance?
5. Should I believe Internet advertising companies when they say they can quarantee my company positions on Google?
6. What is a Search Engine?
7. What is a Directory?
8. Is there a simple solution to top placement?
9. Are not all search engines the same?
10. Will my website stay at the #1 position once my website is placed there by CWS?
11. My website did not get accepted last time I submitted to the search engines... why?
12. How long does it take to see results?
13. How does the Search Engine find websites?
14. What is a "Spider"?
15. What is Search Engine Optimization?
16. What do you mean by Search Engine Friendly?
17. Why might I need to have extra elements added to my website? If these elements are so important, why didn't they get added when my site was originally designed?
18. Why don't I just do the work myself and save money?

What aspects affect your positioning on Google?
There are many aspects that affect your positioning in Google, however three of the most important aspects include keyword rich page titles, incoming links from relevant websites and keyword rich link text from your in-coming links.
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What are Google Ad-words and do other search engines provide similar pay per click advertising?
Google Ad-words is a form of pay per click advertising where companies can bid on certain key words that Google users enter into the Google search engine. If their bid is high enough and their ad copy and website are relevent their advertisement will show up either above the search results or on the right hand side of the Google search page. Other search engines such as MSN, Yahoo and Ask do offer similar pay per click advertising opportunities.
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What is Google Ad-sense?
Google Ad-sense allows owners of websites to generate revenue from Google by allowing them to advertise on their websites. 
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What is a Google dance?
A Google dance is what happens each time Google makes modifications to their mathematical calculation. This can cause a lot of websites problems as they have worked their way up Google under the current calculation but once it changes then their location in Google is decreased.
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Should I believe Internet advertising companies when they say they can guarantee my company’s position on Google?
No you should not, you should run away as fast as you can from whoever uttered those words . There are a lot of search engine optimization companies that claim they can guarantee positions in Google, you can think of it this way, the only people that can guarantee positions on Google are those that are privy to the Google mathematical calculation. If it were just a matter of some tricks to be in the top 10 for any key word wouldn’t these Search Engine Optimization companies sites be matched in the top ten for all the good key words.
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What is a Search Engine?
A search engine is an online database of websites that allows Internet users to search for information contained on websites contained in the database by "Keywords". Keywords are words that Internet searchers are likely to use when looking for information on a specific topic. For example, the words "grad schools" would likely be used when looking for information on continuing post-secondary education. Each search engine has slightly different behaviors and characteristics.
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What is a Directory?
A directory is a search tool much like a search engine but with a few major differences. Directories tend to employ human editors to review and rank websites submitted to their database. Yahoo! is the most well known example of a directory. Most directories catalog websites based on a variety of topic categories such as Business and Economics, or Arts and Culture. Most directories demand payment before assigning a website review to one of their editors.
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Is there a simple solution to top placement?
There is no simple solution to attaining high search engine rankings. Search marketing is difficult work and requires a strong knowledge of how the Internet functions and how search engines operate.
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Are not all search engines the same?
Each search tool has its own unique characteristics. As businesses, each search tool has found ways to make its service slightly different from other search tools.
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Will my website stay at the #1 position once my website is placed there by Canada's Web Shop?
Search Engine rankings fluctuate frequently, however, if your site is properly maintained by search marketing specialists month to month then it is likely that the movement will be confined to within the top 10 positions, however this may take some time.
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My website did not get accepted last time I submitted to the search engines... why?
Search Engine listings are not guaranteed to everyone who posts a website to the Internet. Search engines are for-profit businesses and have the right to refuse to list any site for virtually any reason. At Canada's Web Shop we specialize in getting sites listed on Search Engines. We ensure all bases are covered and all necessary elements are present before submitting the finalized site to the search engines or directories.
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How long does it take to see results?
It can take between 2 - 12 weeks to see results, depending on each search engine. Canada's Web Shop starts tracking your website's performance 14 days after submission. We will forward all results as they come in over time.
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How does the Search Engine find websites?
There are three ways a search engine can find a website to add to its database. The first and most direct method is to accept submissions from website designers and optimizers. Most search engines have a "submit your URL" section inviting submissions from Internet users. The second, and least obvious method of finding websites is to send a "spider" to follow each and every link on, off, and through a website. New URLs encountered by the spider will be added to the database. In this way, some search engines will grow very rapidly.  Lastly, if your site has a link from another site the search engine will find your site and likely index your content.
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What is a "Spider"?
A "spider" is an electronic robot that travels the web examining websites in order to add them to a search engine database and rank them according to the specific ranking criteria for that search engine. Most search engines use spiders to quickly and efficiently canvass the web for information.
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What is Search Engine Optimization?
Search Engine Optimization is the process of making websites search engine friendly. The process often involves minor modifications to, or additions of, several standard elements of a website.
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What do you mean by Search Engine Friendly?
We use this term to describe a website that has specific elements added or modified to attract and please search engine spiders or live directory editors.
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Why might I need to have extra elements added to my website?
A search engine spider is an automated program that electronically probes every URL submitted to its database. As the spider is a computer program, it is designed to look for and rank very specific items on each page it probes. If those elements are present, the spider computes a higher ranking than it would if those elements were not present.
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If these elements are so important, why didn't they get added when my site was originally designed?
Most website designers haven't learned the importance of search engine friendly design. In almost every case we've encountered, the site designer is a highly skilled and creative person whose job is to put your ideas on the web. More often than not, the designers have not received any training in search engine optimization and don't think about it while pursuing a cool looking design. Search engines are also constantly changing their ranking criteria. They do this to prevent gross manipulation of their search tools. Often, website designers are not fully up to date with changes at search engines.
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Why don't I just do the work myself and save money?
You can do the work yourself. You will need to continuously update your knowledge of how the various search engines work and any changes made in the way they work. This shouldn't take you too much time. Once you get the hang of it, search engine optimization can be as simple as re-shoeing the brake pads on your car or replacing the motherboard and system bios in your computer. You should know that if you make a mistake in optimization and submission, it can take months to find the mistake and fix it, resubmit the site and obtain the search engine ranking you desired.
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E-commerce Websites

1. Do you sell your own proprietary e-commerce solution?
2. Does your solution allow the user to make changes to the e-store?
3. What do I need to setup with my bank before I can accept credit cards through my e-store?
4. Do I have to have an automated credit authorization system to accept credit cards?
5. Can I import all my product SKUs from my point of sale system into your e-commerce solution?
6. How many products can I have in my e-commerce solution?
7. Does your e-commerce solution allow me to put products on sale and offer discounts to certain customers?
8. Can I export my customer list out of your e-commerce solution?
9. How does shipping work in your e-commerce solution?
10. Do I receive any reporting in your e-commerce solution?
11. Does your solution provide a method to email my customers specials and sale items?
12. Are product descriptions important on my e-store?
13. Do you provide training for your solution?
14. Is there a company that I would know that uses your e-commerce solution?
15. What is your opinion on the future of e-commerce?
16. What is your opinion on open source e-commerce software?
17. What if my products are not suited to be sold online?       

 

Do you sell your own proprietary e-commerce solution?
Yes we do. In 2002, we developed our first version of our e-commerce solution called Clearetail.  Since then we have developed a feature-rich redevelopment of Clearetail, called C2.  C2 is our own product that can be customized by our programmers to meet nearly any e-commerce business need.
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Does your solution allow the user to make changes to the e-store?
C2 comes will a full administration backend that allows users to make significant changes to their e-commerce solution. Our tool allows you to keep your inventory up to date and write about your products. This is where all of your e-store back office operations happen.
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What do I need to setup with my bank before I can accept credit cards through my e-store?
You have to setup a merchant number with your bank and then setup merchant status with the credit cards that you want to accept.  This is not complicated it just takes a little time.
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Do I have to have an automated credit authorization system to accept credit cards?
No you do not. Some customers receive the orders through C2 and manually enter them into their POS systems.  Alternatively, if you wanted to automate this process we can provide “at time of purchase” credit card authorization and processing. Depending on your payment company of choice, there may be extra costs to integrate your C2 solution with your payment company's software.
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Can I import all my product SKUs from my point of sale system into your e-commerce solution?
Yes you can. We can provide an import solution that saves you the time of entering all your products manually.  This is an additional charge and the cost can vary depending on the complexity of your POS solution, and other unique factors.
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How many products can I have in my e-commerce solution?
It's up to you. We currently have a customer that has 4,000,000 products in their C2.
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Does your e-commerce solution allow me to put products on sale and offer discounts to certain customers?
C2 allows users to offer discounts to specific products, groups of products or to certain customer lists. This functionality is provided through our backend administration tool.
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Can I export my customer list out of your e-commerce solution?
C2 allows you to export all your customers’ information.
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How does shipping work in your e-commerce solution?
C2 provides different shipping methods and part of the setup of your solution is for us to determine your shipping logic.  Canada’s Web Shop will consult with your company on your shipping needs and set C2 up to satisfy your requirements.
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Do I receive any reporting in your e-commerce solution?
C2 provides a powerful reporting package, allowing the user to receive valuable e-commerce data and visitation reporting.
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Does your e-commerce solution provide a method to email my customers specials and sale items?
C2 provides what we call an eFlyer, which allows the store user to build a web-page with chosen products that can be sent via email to a customer email list. The e-commerce software does not directly email the customers. If you require help sending opt-in mass-emails to your customers, see our section on Email Marketing Campaigns.
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Are product descriptions important on my e-store?
If your e-store does not contain copy regarding the products you are just competing on price.  The more commentary you have on each product the more effective your e-store will be.  Ideas for product copy include customer commentary and reviews about the manufacturer.
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Do you provide training for your solution?
We provide full training for our application. We have a dedicated trainer that is responsible for teaching our application to our new customers. We are also available to provide support for our customers when they need it.
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Is there a company that I would know that uses your e-commerce solution?
Our flagship e-commerce customer is McNally Robinson Booksellers.
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What is your opinion on the future of e-commerce?
E-commerce is transitioning from an early adopter stage to a growth stage.  The technology is user friendly for the customer and as consumers’ time continues to be sparse we believe e-commerce is going to go through considerable growth.  In addition, the price point for companies to setup an e-commerce solution has reduced so the barriers to entry are less restrictive .  E-commerce statistics are growing each year and we feel it is a good business move to get involved in e-commerce now so your company does not get left behind.
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What is your opinion on open source e-commerce software?
Open source software is good as it can reduce the development of certain solutions.  Open source software does require a web software company to work with you to setup and customize the solution.  Few solutions can work "out of the box" for discerning customers; they generally need a great deal of customization in order to satisfy the needs of the customer.
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What if my products are not suited to be sold online?
Not a problem, if this is the case I would suggest you use our C2 solution in a catalog mode.  In this mode you can show all your products you sell and entice visitors to email you or call you regarding further purchase information.
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Promotional Websites

1. Do you provide the ability for users to edit their own websites?
2. How much does a content site generally cost?
3. Do you provide flash animation?
4. Are there any drawbacks to flash animation?
5. Is there anything you can do with our website to reduce the amount of spam email we receive?
6. What are the most important elements of a successful website?
7. What information should I include on my website?

Do you provide the ability for users to edit their own websites?
Absolutely, we have developed a website content management system that allows the user to edit, create and modify pages on their website without knowing HTML. See our information on our website content management system.
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How much does a content site generally cost?
It really depends on the desired inclusions of the web-site. Generally we can build a 10 page site for $3,400 and up. For this price you are getting a professionally designed and programmed site that is expandable and looks professional. Customizations and flash animation drive the price up. However good functionality on your website can provide efficiency savings and provide great marketing for your company. In our business there are a lot of suppliers and great deal of them provide poor solutions. Like most products you get what you pay for and the web is not different.
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Do you provide flash animation?
Yes we do develop flash animation. Generally we feel flash is most effective to catch the visitors eye and to communicate your company's key differentiators.
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Are there any drawbacks to flash animation?
Flash is not extremely findable on the web, for this reason we do not advise customers to create complete flash web-sites. You cannot deep link to a flash site, thus discouraging others from linking to your site. You cannot bookmark a favourite page or content on a flash site. You cannot easily print a flash page. Search engines can not spider the text in the movie.
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Is there anything you can do with our website to reduce the amount of spam email we receive?
Do not have email addresses on your site, always have a contact form that the visitor can fill out. By doing this you receive some information from the visitor and your email is not on your site so spammers cannot grab it and start spamming your company.
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What are the most important elements of a successful website?

• Ensure your site is findable by your target audience.
• Ensure the graphic design on your website is professional and portrays your company image.
• Provide your visitors with interesting content that will assist them to make decisions and make them want to return to your web-site or visit your location.
• Ensure your website quickly and accurately conveys the essence of your business, detailing your products or services while conveying your sustainable differentiators.

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What information should I include on my website?

• What information do your customers need to know to make an educated purchase decision
• What information do potential business partners need to know about your business.
• What training and experience have you had as a professional, and how can you convey that in an accessible manner.
• What information do you wish your customers knew so that their expectations of your service or products helped them have a positive purchase experience?
• How does your product or service differ from those of your competitors.

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Hosting and Domain

1. What are the ranges of your hosting packages?
2. Can I purchase a domain through Canada’s Web Shop?
3. How much does it cost to purchase a domain for 1 year?
4. Do you recommend purchasing a domain for longer than 1 year?
5. What are important items to think of when choosing a domain name?

What are the ranges of your hosting packages?
Our hosting packages range from $30 to $129.95 per month depending on the data transfer and storage requirements.
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Can I purchase a domain through Canada’s Web Shop?
Yes, Canada’s Web Shop can purchase your domain for you or we can provide you with instructions on how to purchase a domain through our domain system.
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How much does it cost to purchase a domain for 1 year?
For 1 year a domain generally costs about $30-40 CAD depending on the extenstion (.ca or .com etc ).
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Do you recommend purchasing a domain for longer than 1 year?
We do recommend you purchase a domain for longer than 1 year as 1 year goes by pretty fast and the last thing you want is for your domain to expire and risk losing the domain.
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What are important items to think of when choosing a domain name?
Short, pronounceable and memorable are the three key metrics for a good domain name. Can your domain name pass the radio ad test, if you have to spell it out on the radio you have failed. Try to stay away from hyphenated names such as penguin-books.com.
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