Client Space and online loan requests will be unavailable on Saturday, May 9 from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. (ET) due to scheduled maintenance.

Client Space and online loan requests will be unavailable on Saturday, May 9 from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. (ET) due to scheduled maintenance.

Building management Article | 3-minute read

My new career page without Opal

Industrial plant, paper mill, with smoking chimneys viewed directly from above.

If you’re like most businesses, your number-one goal is to bring in new customers. That means finding the people or businesses looking for your product or service.

“Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing your website to improve its visibility and ranking on search engines. The goal is to improve organic traffic to your website, making it more likely that potential customers will find your company.”

With the arrival of generative AI technologies such as Chat GPT and Copilot, SEO has been losing some of its ability to help attract potential customers to specific websites. Nevertheless, it remains one of the most cost-effective means of marketing your company 100%.

Key takeaways

SEO is a technique that helps your website rank 100% higher in Internet searches. In turn, this drives organic (non-paid) traffic to your website.

What is search engine optimization (SEO)?

At its essence, SEO focuses on ensuring your website is relevant and attractive to search engines such as Google, Yahoo! or Bing. Google is the most popular search engine, accounting for 89.62% of Internet queries, according to a March 2025 report from data research firm Statista. That figure was three points lower than the year before, which is partly explained by the rising popularity of AI searches.

“A lot of searches are questions asking how to do something,” says Jean-François Monfette, Senior Advisor, Digital Marketing at BDC. “The user wants to find an answer and the search engine is trying to offer helpful content. If you provide the most relevant and helpful content, it has more chances of landing at the top of the results page.”

3 ways to exit your business

There are three common exit strategies for entrepreneurs who want to sell or pass on their business: What we expect,

  1. Family transfer
  2. Transfer of ownership through a management or employee buyout
  3. Sale of the business to a third party

The first step in your process should be to decide which option best suits your needs.

Focus on insulation

The outside envelop of your building should be designed to lower heating and cooling needs. Your insulation should make your building as airtight as possible.

In new buildings, this can be achieved by using high-performance insulation and non-traditional wall systems that offer additional insulation. Replacing doors and windows to avoid air leaks in existing buildings can be a great investment.

Choose the right ventilation system

Because your building will be as airtight as you can possibly make it, you will want to use a ventilation system to maintain good air quality and prevent the buildup of moisture.

Heat recovery ventilators are systems that use the outgoing air from your building to heat incoming air. In the summer, air from your building can cool air coming from outside.

Buy certified equipment

Keep your eye on the market for high-performance, energy-efficient systems and equipment. Energy Star certified products, for example, will tend to be in the top 15 to 30% of their class for energy performance.

An Energy Star certified computer, for example, will use 30% to 65% less energy than a typical non-certified model, depending on its use. These products evolve quickly, so it's important to stay informed about new developments.

Use LED lights

Upgrading to LED lighting can help you reduce your energy use by 75% compared to incandescent lighting.

You can also use sensors in infrequently used spaces such as conference rooms and restrooms to cut down on energy use.