Google, Intuit Help Small Businesses Get Online

Google's Virginia 'Get Online' campaign kicked off yesterday in Manassas.

Google selected the in Manassas as the venue to launch the Virginia leg of its national Get Your Business Online campaign because the area provides a centralized location for reaching the many entrepreneurs throughout Northern Virginia, according to information released by the Prince William Chamber of Commerce Wednesday.

Over 500 people showed up for the event that attracted all kinds of business owners— from bakers to home repair and daycare providers. 

The Chamber and Intuit were partners in the September 20 launch event, which connected hundreds of small business owners with tools for creating websites and growing their business online.   

“Small business is the engine for jobs creation. The more that we can do to support small business and alleviate unemployment, the better,” said Google Chairman Eric Schmidt.

Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell, a longtime supporter of small businesses, was also present and the event and addressed the audience.   

“Small businesses drive our economy and their success is crucial to ensuring the sustained and robust recovery our nation needs," McDonnell said. This initiative will provide many small businesses in the Commonwealth with the opportunity to grow their sales, expand their operations and, most importantly, use that growth to employ more of our citizens."

  “The Prince William business community has a strong entrepreneurial spirit that translates into a robust and abundant number of small businesses,” noted Chamber President & CEO Rob Clapper. "We are pleased that Google sees Prince William’s business community as vital to charting the course for continued jobs growth in the Commonwealth and our Region.”  

According to statistics provided by Google, 44% of small businesses in Northern Virginia do not have a website or online. Director of Small Business Engagement for Google, Scott Levitan, said the reason for this is that most people think it's too hard and too expensive.

As a result, the goal of the campaign is to dispel that myth by helping small business owners, such as Larry Gibson, who owns a private preschool and daycare in Manassas, have a better presence online.

"The most appealing part—aside from getting help setting up a free website—was getting help on maximizing traffic to my site through the use of key words through Intuit and Google AdWords," Gibson said.

Those who attended the event got a three-page site, a domain name and a Google Places listing. Additional functionality, such as e-commerce was also included at an extra charge, but Levitan said most small businesses are just looking for a presence on the web. 

So why is Google doing this? Well, it not only helps the economy, but it also makes for a better web environment, since 98% of people search on-line for businesses and services.

If you missed the event, you can still get a free website by going online.

More information: www.virginiagetonline.com