West Vancouver, British Columbia,
Community Website
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: What is North Vancouver and West Vancouver.com?

A: North Vancouver.com and West Vancouver.com are the foremost online directory and search engines for the West Vancouver, North Vancouver and North Shore area. West Vancouver.com has been West Vancouver's Official Community Website since 1998, North Vancouver.com has been in place since 2000 and people use both sites daily to find information about real estate, accommodations, events, restaurants, shops and more.

Q: How was North Vancouver.com / West Vancouver.com constructed?

A: West Vancouver.com was designed in four sections: Commmunity Listings, News, Online Shopping and Visitors Information. These four sections mean we are attracting both local viewers and viewers from around the world.

Q: How many people look at the West Vancouver and North Vancouver websites?

A: As of October 2003, the sites together, gather an average of 40,000 - 80,000 views per DAY, which amounts to over 600,000 views each month and over 1.2 million hits each. This is more than any other website in this region. We have assisted over 1,500 visitors in finding hotels, restaurants and events, and we have re-directed over $35,000 of online shopping business to local retail stores and vendors.

Q: How many of those people come back to West Vancouver?

A: We have calculated a return of 80-90%, meaning that out of all of our viewers, 80-90% of them are regulars coming back over and over again to see what we have published and to use our search engine and directories.

Q: What do people use the most?

A: Our our most popular page by far is our live web camera traffic page and our cruise ship camera helped bring real tourism dollars to the North Shore. This was followed by our community listings, especially in real estate , accommodations and restaurants and various retail shopping categories, like home and garden, sports, auto, beauty and food. Financial pages are actually the fastest growing, what with investments and banking becoming so important in our lives.

Q: How does the live web cam work?

A: The web camera transmits live images every 10 seconds of the intersection of Taylor Way and Marine Drive. To date, we have collected over 4,200 letters of support and praise for its effectiveness. Viewers tell us that they use it everyday to plan their trips across the Lions Gate Bridge.

Q: What about the news pages, are they popular?

A: Yes, in fact our news pages are updated EVERY WEEK, thanks to our fabulous newspaper partner, The North Shore Outlook. The Outlook is this area's foremost newspaper and this partnership ensures that you are getting the most up-to-date news available. We anticipate more and more people will use these pages in the future as we begin to add more real time streaming video events and photo items each month.

Q: How does the Online Shopping section work?

A: We have pre-screened and selected a handful of local merchants from which we choose to shop for goods on behalf of our viewers. Quite simply, someone can order chocolates for mom or champagne for friends from anywhere in the world. We add on our delivery fee, go and buy the goods from the store and deliver it to their door. It's simple and elegant and, more importantly, it keeps business here in the community where it belongs. We support local merchants and it shows.

Q: What visitors services do you have?

A: Visitors and vacationers have the option to fill out a visitors reservation form where they tell us what kind of room they are looking for and for what dates. We then use that information to help them book their accommodations and find things to do while on holidays. We receive about 500 forms each month and even more in the summertime.

Q: How does the West Vancouver.com search engine work?

A: Every name, directory listing and page is logged by our computers daily, so when you are looking for something specific, use these pages and you'll be immediately taken there.

Q: So, even if I only have a free listing on your site, viewers can find me?

A: Absolutely, that's what a GOOD search engine does. There is no way to trick this system by keyword misrepresentation or by buying your way up the ladder to a good position.

Q: What's the difference between a GOOD search engine and a BAD search engine?

A: Search engines can be difficult to understand. Some of the most popular ones out there will never perform well because people can buy their way to the top. They simply pay more per click and the company will list them at the top. We call these search engines "BAD" because they have very little to do with site content, do not consistently return the best results and the margin for error is great. On the other hand, "GOOD" search engines take a real look at your site, determining what your content is really about and place you, in the proper category, accordingly. The better your site functions, the better your ranking.

Q: Does West Vancouver.com pay to be part of all search engines?

A: No. We will never pay, or buy, our way to the top. Our name says it all. We consistently rank in the top ten of all major search engines and feel there is no need to pass on to our clients the enormous advertising costs associated with this pay-per-click trend which is both uneffective and unethical. Real search engines, like what we have here at West Vancouver.com, are the way of the future and the ONLY way to consistently guarantee reliable returns.

Q: How do I get started? Where do I join?

A: Start by filling out a free listing request form and get yourself on the search engine today? If you want to attract even more business, consider talking to our sales department about one of our other products or services.