A new study by GoDaddy, the technology provider dedicated to small business, has revealed that despite the significant commercial impact that a company website has on a business, with latest figures showing it can contribute as much as 25 per cent to growth, the website adoption rate remains low with 59 per cent of small businesses still without a professional website.
The primary reasons holding small businesses back from building a company website is the sense that the business is too small (44 per cent), it is too expensive to build (30 per cent) and no one in the business having the time to build or manage one (17 per cent).
With two-thirds of Australia consumers stating that they won’t even consider a small business if they can’t find it online, not having a company website can compromise a small business’s ability to grow and attract new customers.
There is universal recognition of the value that having a professional website can bring to a small business with (65 per cent) of respondents stating it adds credibility and professionalism to a business and opens up new business opportunities (58 per cent). In fact, almost half (47 per cent) of small businesses surveyed stated that they are considering building one within the next 12 months.
“Over two million small businesses are the backbone of Australia’s economy and many are missing out on growth opportunities that can be realised by building a professional website,” Tara Commerford, GoDaddy ANZ Vice President & Managing Director, said.
“More education and support is needed, which is why a key focus for GoDaddy is making going online approachable and helping small businesses embrace digital opportunities by demonstrating how quick and easy it really is to build a website.”
The Party People, which started as a bricks and mortar store before taking its business online with GoDaddy, is an example of a small business that has experienced significant growth after taking its business online. That decision alone has led the company to growing to eight times the size it was before it was an online entity.
“Taking our business online enabled us to rapidly scale our operations without the added overhead of new stores,” Dean Salakas, CEO of The Party People, said. “We have reached new customers who would not have been able to shop from us previously and are now selling party supplies nationally. In fact, to date we have sold over 4.6M party products! That would not have been possible without creating a website and taking our business online.”
