New free website development for SMEs

Woza Online is a joint initiative, by Google, the dti, Vodacom, the Human Resources Development Council and other organisations, to help SMEs create their first free website and help them make the most of the opportunities offered by the Internet.

20 Jan 2012

Launched yesterday 19 January 2011, at the Innovation Hub in Pretoria, the initiative aims to bring tens of thousands of small and medium South African businesses online, giving them the opportunity to create their own websites and develop an online presence in under an hour.

The partners hope to transform the South African SME landscape and drive economic growth and job creation. Lead SA, the Primedia Broadcasting and Independent Group of Newspapers also support this project.

Websites improve profitability

According to the interim results of the latest SME survey, conducted by World Wide Worx (January 2012), there is a strong link between being online and being competitive, profitable and sustainable - 79% of SMEs with a website reported profitability, whereas only 59% of SMEs without a website reported the same.

Businesses participating in the initiative get:

free easy-to-build professional website
free sub-domain name and hosting
an automatic listing on Google Places which reflects in Google Maps
access to training material and workshops
free online support available via Google Chat and email
1 year free top-level .co.za domain name for first 10000 applicants

Commenting on the initiative, Elizabeth Thabethe, deputy minister for the Department of Trade and Industry, said, "The more small businesses are online, the more customers they will be able to reach. We often hear entrepreneurs or business owners describing the challenges of building an online presence. With this service removing those obstacles, SMEs are empowered to take that first bold step towards getting online."

"We believe that the power of the Internet will help small businesses in South Africa to grow and will help entrepreneurs thrive, by bringing more local information online and making it accessible," says Luke Mckend, country manager for Google South Africa. "The process is simple and business owners can be online in less than an hour - whether you sell transport services, cakes, crafts or electronics - locally or internationally."

Google has launched similar initiatives in 23 other countries around the world from Great Britain, Canada and Australia to Brazil, Indonesia, France and Poland, bringing 400 000 businesses online over two years. In Africa, the programme was launched in Kenya and Nigeria last year, with these countries seeing over 20 000 businesses going online within the first two months.

For more information, go to www.wozaonline.co.za.