State of U.S. Small Business Online

STATE OF U.S. SMALL BUSINESS ONLINE: PERSPECTIVES FROM SMALL BUSINESSES WITH AN ONLINE PRESENCE WEBSITES ARE ONLINE PRESENCE OF CHOICE 78% use a company website as their primary online presence. Globally, that number is 72%. 65% created a company website because it makes them look more credible. 78 65 www. More than half (54%) would choose a .net domain name if their preferred 89% prefer a .com domain name for their company website. extension wasn't available. That's more 89com than any other domain extension! 54net % powered by VERISIGN Y 83% would recommend investment in a powered by VERISIGN website to other small companies in their industry. MISSED OPPORTUNITIES TO BUILD BRAND ONLINE Many don't realize there are other ways to use a domain name apart from building a website. Of the 44% not using branded email, only about one-third knew it was an option even if they didn't have a website. 44 91% of those using branded email say it makes them look more credible, but only 54% are using it. 91 Only 38% were aware that they could point a domain name to an online presence hosted by another service, like a social media site. yoursmallbusiness.com OTHER TRENDS 76% say that an online presence they have control over is important. Globally, that number is 72%. 36% have staff dedicated to digital marketing efforts. 76% 36 49% use social media as a part of their company's marketing mix. Only 14% have a mobile version of their site. Globally, that number is 21%. 49 14 "Data representative of a U.S. segment of a global survey of 1,050 smal businesses with an onine presence. For a detailed description of the methodology and findings, read the report Benefits and Barrers of Bringing a Smal Business Onine: Perspectives From Global Small Businesses, located at Verisigninc.com/SmallBiz For more information about this data and other small business trends, visit Verisigninc.com/SmallBiz, VERISIGN fy in a