And remember that your site requires constant attention and adaptation. It originally focused on the high-tech sector but now carries ads from a wide range of companies. We plowed a large portion of our revenues into advertising, with radio ads providing the best returns. We expanded staff substantially, which gives us a strong presence across the country, and put considerable money and energy into creating a corporate culture during a period of rapid growth. Keeping a constant eye on relationships with various search engines is vital.
Different engines have different formats.
For example, Yahoo Canada's staff evaluate the quality of your site. Others do it electronically and when they change their parameters, so must we. It's a constant challenge to keep our name at the top of their lists. Financial projections for the first year were too lofty and we failed to meet them. We should have spent more time preparing and not been so quick to launch the site.