Google Canada Puts Small Businesses on the Online Map

Google CanadaGoogle Canada has announced an initiative, Canada Get Your Business Online, to give at least 100,000 small businesses (SBMs) their own websites with a ".ca" domain. Recognizing that 80 percent of the Canadian population has high-speed Internet access, yet only half of Canada's 2 million SBMs have no presence online, the company will foot the bill at an undisclosed cost, until at least the end of the year.

As part of a partnership between website template provider Yola.com and the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA), which administers domain names ending in ".ca," the program is designed to encourage businesses that haven't created websites because they believe it is too technically demanding and don't have the time to learn how to do it to stake their online territory. In addition, Google Canada has partnered with RBC Royal Bank, The Canadian Chamber of Commerce, The Globe and Mail, and Silver Lining Limited to launch the program.

Visit www.google.ca.