For small businesses, having a website is an essential tool for marketing. However, many local small businesses do not have a website and are invisible to anyone searching for their product or service online. There are many advantages to having an online presence, and below are just a few reasons why any small business should invest in being online.
The web is where we go to find things …
97% of internet users look for local goods and services online.
Source: BIA/Kelsey, User View Wave VII, March 2010
We’re looking for businesses nearby …
One in five searches is local, which means
someone is looking for a product or service nearby!
Source: Google user data, April 2010
We look for things when we’re on the go…
Three out of four smartphone users have contacted a
business they found on their phone.
Source: Google/Ipsos, “The Mobile Movement: Understanding Smartphone Users,” April 2011
Many businesses in New York can’t be found online …
53% of New York businesses
do not have a website.
Source: Google/IPSOS, Survey of businesses with less than 250 employees, October 2013
Businesses that can be found online are growing faster …
Over the next three years, businesses that make use of the web expect to grow 40% faster than those that don’t.
Source: BCG Report, “The Connected World: The $4.2 Trillion Opportunity,” March 2012
Statistics courtesy of Google’s Get Your Business Online website