According to an April 2004 Harris Interactive poll, 35% of all small business owners believe that a Web site is their most important sales tool, and 70% expect to have one up and running by the end of this year.
On the assumption that the remaining 30% of small entrepreneurs would like to have a Web presence but don’t know how to go about establishing one, Internet hosting and managed services company Hostway has announced it will collaborate with local chambers of commerce around the country to let those businesses stake a claim to some Internet real estate.
Chicago-based Hostway’s “A Web Site for Every Business” campaign will permit participating chambers of commerce to offer their members six months’ free Web hosting and access to Hostway’s Site Builder development tool, where they can customize templates to construct the kind of Internet site their business calls for.
Chamber members will also get access to content from Hostway on topics such as building a business online, protecting privacy, search optimization, and value-adds that help sell goods and services over the Web.
“Many small business owners feel they need to be tech savvy to have a Web site,” said Hostway marketing vice president John Lee in a statement announcing the campaign. “The mission of this campaign is to overcome that illusion by educating small business owners on the simplicity behind creating a Web site.”
As yet, no chambers of commerce have signed on to the newly launched program. To encourage them to get started, Hostway will also award a $2,500 prize to the first chamber that enrolls 50 members in the Hostway program before March 1, 2005.
