We’ve also learned a few things along the way about the business owners that have signed up. First we found out more about
who they are: the majority of businesses were either sole traders or small businesses with less than 5 employees. We also noticed that these businesses were likely to be relatively new, with over 50% having been founded within the last two years.
We also learned
where they were. Using
Google Fusion Tables we plotted the 27,000 businesses on the map and saw that they had signed up in geographical clusters. For example, in Bendigo there are 22 businesses that have come online, and they’re all within 6km of each other. This could either mean that businesses close to each other are directly spreading the word about being online or it could mean that they’re aware of the activities of neighbouring businesses and are trying to keep up with the competition.
For instance, Dallas Hall in Bendigo set up a website for his business
Cornerstone Landscaping this year. A sole trader, he says, “We found the website really effective and we now have a good hit rate and clients are finding us. The site is easy and straightforward to do -- it took me 10 minutes to get online. People can see from the map that we’re located in Bendigo and we get around 5 to 6 phone calls a week from people who have seen our website.”
Next year we’ll continue to help businesses get a free online presence and to spread the word that
getting a website doesn’t have to be difficult.
Posted by Richard Flanagan, Head of SMB Marketing, Google Australia
