Canadians' favourite websites in 2011

Today’s business news centres on the Canadian online marketplace. 

Web information company Alexa has just published the most visited sites in 2011, yielding some surprising, and some not so surprising, results. 

The most popular sites among Canadians were Google, Facebook, YouTube, Yahoo and Wikipedia.

Nothing shocking there, then.

However, LinkedIn came in at 11. Nearly 8% of all Canadian search queries were directed to the business networking website. 

Being in the market for so many hits could provide ample reason for SME owners to register a personal and business profile on LinkedIn.

Concerns assuaged

Another much-accessed site was that of the bank TD Canada Trust. 

The success of Craigslist just goes to show that – with online classifieds at any rate – a good SEO strategy can be even more important than building a good-looking site

This proves that concerns surrounding online financial security have been considerably assuaged in recent years. 

Also popular were classified directory websites Craigslist and Kijiji. 

The success of Craigslist in particular is shocking given it looks like something from the internet’s early years.

Blue text on a white background, only two colours, a single font, no graphics nor images – Craigslist is a triumph of function of style to say the least.

It just goes to show that – with online classifieds at any rate – a good SEO strategy can be even more important than building a good-looking site.

Kijiji classifieds include collectible art, pets, services such as music lessons and even big-ticket items like property. 

There are hundreds of websites for sale on BusinessesForSale Canada, including an online spy store in Toronto and a dropship internet businesses for baby clothing, jewellery and other products, among others. 

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Last week we touched upon the latest BusinessesForSale quarterly survey of buyers and sellers from more than 15 countries.

The survey revealed that only 13% of prospective buyers polled believed that ongoing economic turbulence would influence their choice of sector. 

More than 40% are prepared to buy a struggling business if it is realistically priced. Interesting to know if you are thinking of selling your business and it's balance sheets are less than healthy.

The most popular sector was cafes and restaurants with around a third interested, followed by food businesses, franchise resales, retail and hotels, guesthouses and B&Bs.

While some respondents were interested in just a single sector, many were browsing for several businesses, sometimes in very different sectors.