The US Census Bureau determined in its 2000 census that Hispanics are now the largest ethnic minority in the US, representing 58% of minorities or over 35 million people. Between Latin America and Europe there are an additional 300+ million Spanish speakers. Almost 50 million of the world's Spanish-speaking population now actively uses the Internet.

What about the other 290 million? That is the great news, because with just 15% of this population actively using the Internet, there is a huge growth curve ahead for those e-commerce businesses that can learn to be successful with Spanish-speaking markets today.

Spanish speakers are not only jumping on to the Internet in record numbers, but worldwide their spending power is growing in excess of 5% per annum. The result: this online market should exceed $1 trillion in spending power by 2015.

Where and how can companies tap into the online Spanish-speaking market? By finding a search engine optimization company that specializes (and has learned the hard knocks) in Spanish-language search engines and that has top-notch English to Spanish translation talent.

The good news is that the most important Spanish search engines in terms of traffic are MSN, Yahoo and Google (others include Terra, Mundo Latino and Star Media). This means that SEO companies are already familiar with the algorithms, and do not need to learn new technical strategies.

Rather, the challenges have to do with the Spanish language itself. The point: Your success lies in finding an SEO firm that uses organic, search engine friendly techniques and that has teamed up with experienced English to Spanish translation experts.

What questions should you ask to determine the level of Spanish SEO expertise? Here are the keys to making the right choice:

Your Spanish SEO firm should be able to show proven results. Who are their clients? What key words are they ranked for and what are their rankings? How competitive are those key words? What do their clients say about them?

Your Spanish SEO firm should also understand that there are many Spanish-speaking markets. Translation: They should know that key words for Cuban Americans will differ from those for European Spaniards which in turn will be different than those for Mexicans. They also need to understand that Spanish search engines produce different results in the U.S. vs. Argentina vs. Chile, and so forth. This knowledge is absolutely critical for you to reach your target market.

So, how do you get started? Try a simple search for "Spanish SEO" on your friendly neighbourhood search engine.

Adios amigos!

Analysts project that by 2008, the online Spanish-speaking market should represent $500 billion in spending power. This is projected to double to US $1 trillion by 2015. How will your business get ahead of the competition now and be prepared for a windfall? Your Spanish SEO firm should also understand that there are many Spanish-speaking markets. Translation: They should know that key words for Cuban Americans will differ from those for European Spaniards which in turn will be different than those for Mexicans. They also need to understand that Spanish search engines produce different results in the U.S. vs. Argentina vs. Chile, and so forth. This knowledge is absolutely critical for you to reach your target market.