McKenzie-Thorpe

Business websites proven to be key factor in customer buying decision 

- Consumers walk away from companies with poor web presence - SMEs confused about the cost and time involved in creating a website

Over half of UK consumers (53 per cent) would walk away from any business that does not have a website, according to a survey released today. The research, commissioned by 1&1 Internet, Europe’s largest web hosting and domain name registration company, also found that 1 in 5 small businesses still do not recognise the importance consumers place upon a web presence. There was also huge confusion within businesses over the cost and time needed to create a website.

Research carried out by Tickbox.Net identified that in addition to the 53 per cent of consumers who would walk away from a business with no web presence, even more of Britain’s 3.7 million SMEs could be losing sales if they have a poor quality website. The results found that 85 per cent of consumers have more doubts or reservations buying from a business with a poor quality website. A further survey, conducted by Coleman Parkes Research , worryingly reveals that despite these overwhelming figures, 1 in 5 UK SMEs do not recognise the importance the public places upon a web presence, and a further 1 in 5 businesses do not believe that a substandard website could have any negative effect on sales.

Andreas Gauger, CEO 1&1 Internet, said “It is clear that consumers nowadays expect every business to have a professional web presence and are turned-off by second-rate websites, yet clearly many SMEs are confused over the importance of the issue. If businesses want to maximise sales, they must be online with a website that gives the right impression.”

The research also found there to be widespread confusion within the UK small business community over the costs and time involved in creating a website. 1&1 advises that it takes less then 30 minutes to create a website. However, over two thirds of SMEs (67 per cent) believe it would take 10 times longer and nearly two thirds (63 per cent) over-estimated the costs by an astounding 400 per cent. In addition, 73 per cent of small businesses admitted they would not feel confident tackling a build-your-own, DIY style website package . The findings suggest that misconceptions could be leading many UK businesses to miss out unnecessarily on a critical Internet presence.