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Help get British Business Online by registering as a partner

FAQs

What is the Getting British Businesses Online campaign?
GBBO is a joint initiative by Google, Enterprise UK, BT, e-skills UK and many other partners to help SMEs create their first website and help them understand the opportunities offered by the Internet. We've set a target of helping 100k UK SMEs get their first website easily and for free by the end of 2010.
How long will the campaign run?
The campaign will be launched in February 2010 with a focal week of promotional events in April 2010. The campaign will run throughout 2010 with the results announced in December.
Who are the key project partners?
BIS, Google, Enterprise UK, BT and e-skills UK are the core partners on this initiative.
Who can become a partner?
Any organisation that has an active and supportive relationship with SMEs. We'll be partnering with both national and regional SME interest groups including business and trade associations, chambers, councils, enterprise and development agencies, and many more to ensure that we can reach as many UK businesses as possible and help them get online.
What would be my role as a partner?
We need the support of partners with day-to-day contacts with small businesses for this initiative to be a success. You could promote the campaign to your members or clients, host events, or mention the initiative at existing events or training sessions, for example. These are just a few of the ways you can help your members and local businesses. Register to download a Marketing Toolkit with more ideas and instructions for promoting your involvement to your members.
How do I become a partner?
Registration is easy! Just click here and fill in the form.
What are the plans for the focal week of events in February?
We're encouraging partners to host their first events in mid April to coincide with some centrally planned events and our marketing outreach. If you can't organise an event during this week, or can't wait until then, then don't worry, you can still arrange your event and register it on our site.
How many businesses are not currently online?
We estimate that there are at least 1.5 million businesses in the UK that don't yet have a website. We aim to help change this.
What sort of businesses aren't currently online?
Many businesses of all sizes and from a variety of sectors aren't yet online, but more importantly their customers are - with over 41m people in the UK using the Internet.
What can a website achieve for a small business?
A business website can take any number of formats: it can simply be a page displaying a business's contact details - almost an online business card, it could be a showcase of pictures and videos of your products, or it could be a site that allows customers to order and pay online. All of these options will be available to businesses that use the Site Creation Wizard. Register and you'll be able to find out more when you download the Marketing Toolkit.
What free tools will GBBO be providing for the SMEs?
Businesses without a website will be able to claim a free .co.uk website address and use our simple wizard to create their own website customised to their business needs. They'll then automatically have their site registered in Google's search engine, Google Maps and other popular sites where potential customers search for businesses. This free process should take most businesses less than 20 minutes to complete. Businesses that already have a website can use our self help tool that will recommend ways in which they can either improve their existing website, understand more about their customers or simply discover ways to get more potential customers visiting the site.
When will these tools be available?
The campaign will launch in February 2010 and these tools will then be available for your members to use.
What if a business needs help?
We're working with a number of training providers at the moment to develop training materials and courses for businesses and individuals that need a bit more help getting online. Also as new partners join the campaign we'll be able to offer more assistance.
Is this scheme international?
To take full advantage of the campaign partners and businesses will need to be based in the UK. Businesses and partners from outside the UK will be able to use the free self help tool, but may not be able to take advantage of all products the tool recommends. The offer of free websites is only available to businesses based in the UK.
Does this scheme mean I don't need a web designer?
We certainly hope not. Our tool and this initiative are designed for businesses who probably would not otherwise have paid for a website to be built. In fact, this initiative might encourage businesses to employ professional website designers, as they learn more about the role of online business and demand more complex and unique websites.