20/09/2010
Small businesses with a strong internet presence are much more likely to succeed than those without, according to research by a group of industry experts.
While this may seem like a fairly obvious statement, many small firms still do not have a corporate website and are potentially missing out on new customers and growth opportunities.
Research by the Forum of Private Business found that in the North West alone, one in five (22%) of local businesses still does not have a website.
With the national figure standing at 21%, this means that a large number of small firms are not benefiting from the sales boosts and business opportunities that online traffic can bring.
The relatively high cost of setting up a new website may explain why some small firms still lack an online presence. However, by using services such as invoice discounting and factoring, local businesses can free up the necessary funds to invest in a slick new site.
Forum of Private Business spokesman Chris Gorman says that small firms should see having an online presence as a top priority, as more and more consumers use the internet to locate new services.
"While having a website may not be right for some businesses, we believe they are very much a minority and most small firms should, by now, have at least some form of online presence," The Knutsford Guardian quoted Mr Gorman as saying.
"Some people are suspicious of dealing with a business which doesn't have a website and people increasingly use search engines to look up local firms when they can't remember the name," he added.
Joseph Jeffries