Strong support for small business websites in UK - report

Internet Business News, Nov 30, 2004

INTERNET BUSINESS NEWS-(C)1995-2004 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

According to a research by 1&1 Internet, a web hosting provider, small business websites provide a high return on investment and enjoy public awareness.

The 1&1 UK SMB Survey 2004 found more than 70% of businesses experienced an increase in sales revenue in the 12 months following the launch of their website. In addition, more than 84% of businesses believed there was a direct link between a rise in sales revenue and the launch of their website and almost 94% believed their website had contributed to a growth in their business in the 12 months following its launch.

Simliarly, 80% of consumers in the omnibus research believed the Internet was either useful or very useful for small businesses to market their services and 87% of respondents overall stated it was either useful or very useful to use the Internet to locate information on small local businesses.

According to the research, the majority of businesses surveyed spent less than GBP100 on creating and maintaining their website over a 12 month period. Over 65 per cent spent less than GBP300 a year.

((Comments on this story may be sent to info@m2.com))