Websites now free for South Carolina Small Businesses

Google’s South Carolina Get Your Business Online program makes it easy for South Carolina small businesses to grow.

(SOUTH CAROLINA) –Today Google is announcing South Carolina Get Your Business Online. Google worked with local partners to design the program, which will help drive economic growth by giving South Carolina businesses the tools and resources to establish a website, find new customers, and grow their business.

Get Your Business Onlineis an easy and fast way for South Carolina businesses to get online. For the next year, participating South Carolina businesses can go to www.southcarolinagetonline.com to get a free website as well as free tools, training and resources to help their business succeed online. Google is partnering with Intuit to provide its popular Intuit Websites offerings for free including an easy-to-build website, a customized domain name and web-hosting for one year.

“We are very pleased that Google and Intuit have partnered to help South Carolina small businesses establish an on-line presence,” said  Michele Abraham, State Director, South Carolina Small Business Development Centers. “The websites and marketing tools offered will further strengthen their ability to promote their businesses and compete on a global basis.”

Small businesses need to be online because that’s where their customers are. While 97 percent of Americans look online for local products and services, 53 percent of small businesses in South Carolina do not have a website or online presence.

“The perception that getting online is complex, costly and time-consuming has prevented many South Carolina small businesses from taking the first step,” said Scott Levitan, Director of Small Business Engagement at Google. “This program makes it fast, easy and free for businesses to get online."

“As a leading provider of small business solutions, we have witnessed the growth small businesses have seen from getting online,” said Megan Bhattacharyya, Product Manager at Intuit. “We are excited to offer Intuit Websites for free to all the wonderful small businesses in South Carolina and to help them create a customized presence that represents their unique brands.”

Our S.C. partners (to date) include: Berkeley County Chamber of Commerce, Carolinas Minority Supplier Development Council, Charleston Area Community Development Corporation, Charleston Center for Women, Charleston Digital Corridor,  Charleston Restaurant Association,   Charleston Trident Urban League, Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina, Greater Women's Business Council,  S.C. Small Business Development Center, S.C. Department of Commerce, S.C. Retail Merchants Association and the S.C. Women's Business Center.