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Follow UsCalled ‘India Get Your Business Online,’ this initiative aims to break down the barriers that stop small businesses from getting online — by offering a quick, easy and free tool to set up and host a website. Google’s goal is to help 500,000 SMEs to get online in next three years through this program, working with web hosting provider HostGator.
SME owners in India can log on to www.indiagetonline.inand use the tool to get a get a free, easy-to-build website and web hosting for one year powered by HostGator. Businesses also get a customized domain .in name and free tools, training and resources to succeed online.
Speaking at the launch, union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh said, “SMEs are the future business leaders of India and their growth is a priority for the UPA government and its policies. We want to see India's SMEs grow to become recognized Indian brands, and a presence on the Internet is absolutely essential for this.”
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He stated that this initiative will help SMEs modernize their operations and reach out to more customers the country and abroad, adding Indian SMEs should make the most of such opportunities to establish their presence on the Internet.
Highlighting Google’s commitment to India, Nikesh Arora SVP and Chief Business Officer of Google Inc. said, “Google has always believed in the power of the Internet to help SMEs thrive and to make people's lives easier by making information more accessible and useful.”
He added, “We recognize India as a high growth and high potential Internet market in the world and we’re committed to play the role of a catalyst to bring the benefits of the Internet economy to SMEs in India. We have received tremendous response to this initiative in other countries and we’re very excited to bring this initiative to India and empower local businesses as more and more Indian users get online.”
While India is home to an estimated 8 million small and medium businesses, only about 400,000 have a website. The initiative is designed to bridge the information gap that exists online due to the lack of presence of local Indian businesses on the Internet.
Also read: What is there in Google+ for SMBs?
Businesses often believe that getting online is too complex, costly and time-consuming; this perception prevents many SMEs from taking the first step towards building an online presence. Google India and HostGator plan to change that through this initiative.
In addition, HostGator will also offer free support in creating, hosting and managing the website for a period of one year without any cost through its toll free call centers 1800-266-3000.
‘India Get Your Business Online' program is also supported by Federation of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), popularly known as FISME. FISME, the non-profit organization will work with Google India to help SMBs get online through direct customer outreach and events.
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Details of the website creation tool
Free: It’s free to set up your website. The domain is free for 1 year, and it’s free to maintain your website for 12 months.
Quick: The website tool takes 15 minutes from sitting down to being found online
Easy: You don’t need to be a tech whiz to get started. All you need to start is your address, phone number, TAN/CIN or PAN to verify you as a business
If you want to make your website work harder, you’ll have access to steady stream of free tips and tools from the Getting Indian Business Online team and a free coupon of worth Rs 2500 advertising trial from Google AdWords to help promote your site.
Gives you your own .in domain
You get a Google Apps account - free personalized email ids
Other features include photos/logos, integration with social media platforms
After the first year, SMBs can choose to pay a monthly pay-as-you-go to maintain their website using HostGator.
At the end of the first year, they’ll have to pay a nominal charge if they wish to renew their domain name. They can cancel their website at any time.