A Sussex builder has become a virtual construction expert. Barry Dunlop was frustrated by a lack of information about his trade on the internet.

Last year, he set up eBuilders, at Rustington, near Littlehampton, to advise building comp-anies on how to make an effective web presence.

Mr Dunlop said: "Most building companies know nothing about the internet and rely on design companies who in turn know nothing about construction.

"I realised there was a need to bridge the gap or companies would continue to pay huge sums of money for underperforming web sites. I decided to build a business which would combine my industry knowledge with the programming skills of my business partner, Mason Thomas.

"I had worked in the construction industry for more than a decade and I ran a conservatory installation company in the Nineties, before setting up eBuilders."

The company specialises in working with home repair and improvement firms.

Mr Dunlop said: "We concentrate on developing sites to boost their rating on search engines.

"Companies need to be able to target their market by having sites which people can find online. There are many simple methods which can be incorporated into the design of a site which will help focus a word search.

"Unfortunately, we often see sites in our industry where the most fundamental issues, such as descriptive page names, have not been given any consideration."

The company has developed a web presence of its own in a bid to collate relevant inform-ation at one point of contact for the consumer.

Mr Dunlop said: "The internet is about information.

"No amount of complex images or intricate design is going to impress, if a site does not deliver the content a person is looking for. At the eBuilders site people can browse a set of guides, designed to arm people with the knowledge to choose the right builder for the task to be done."

The company has also developed two sector-specific web portals offering consumer information.

www.ebuilders.co.uk
www.windowstoday.co.uk
www.conservatorieson line.com