60% of SMB Home Pages Can't Generate Phone Calls Because They Lack a Business Phone Number, According to SMB DigitalScape

CHANTILLY, Va. and LYNDHURST, N.J., March 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- vSplash and BIA/Kelsey today announced a strategic partnership for the distribution of SMB DigitalScape data in the U.S. Developed by vSplash, SMB DigitalScape is a powerful data collection and analysis engine that gauges the state of SMB digital media and commerce. It has analyzed more than 1 million SMB websites around the world in 14 countries, including 700,000 in the U.S.

The latest analysis from SMB DigitalScape indicates six out of 10 SMB websites in the U.S. are missing either a local or toll-free telephone number on the home page* to contact the business. 

"In an era when connecting and conducting business via the Web and mobile devices is increasing, SMBs are failing to capitalize on evolving consumer behavior trends and the vast digital commerce opportunity," said Umesh Tibrewal, CEO, vSplash. "We launched SMB DigitalScape to bring to the forefront the challenges SMBs face in leveraging the Web and trends in social, local and mobile connectivity for driving their business success."

"We believe local media companies in the U.S. can benefit greatly by having access to SMB DigitalScape," said Rick Ducey, managing director, BIA/Kelsey. "It offers them a powerful tool to measure, in aggregate, their customers' digital presence and determine strategic and tactical selling opportunities."

"SMB DigitalScape offers SMB aggregators the market intelligence to identify and monetize their best market opportunities," said Anthony Bratti, senior vice president, business development, vSplash. "We are excited to be partnering with BIA/Kelsey, the leading experts on the local media industry, to bring SMB DigitalScape data to SMB aggregators and digital media companies in the U.S."

Additional SMB DigitalScape findings suggest that many SMB websites are not as technically sound from a search engine optimization perspective as they should be in order to be found. Deficiencies include lack of meta titles, privacy policies and keywords.

Other empirical data from SMB DigitalScape include:

• 74.7 percent of SMB websites lack an email link on their home page for consumers to contact the business.
• 65.7 percent of SMB websites lack a form-fill option to enable consumers to request information.
• 93.3 percent of SMB websites are not mobile compatible and will not render successfully on mobile devices or smartphones.

Initial findings from the latest SMB DigitalScape analysis will be presented by BIA/Kelsey at this week's Interactive Local Media East (ILM East) conference, March 26-28, in Boston.

"The data coming out of the SMB DigitalScape engine certainly point to considerable market opportunity for SMB marketers and aggregators, as many SMB websites today are deficient across multiple dimensions," said Steve Marshall, director of research, BIA/Kelsey. "As you go through the data, it becomes pretty clear that while the world is shifting to a social, local, mobile — or SoLoMo — orientation, most SMBs are just not there yet."

About BIA/Kelsey (www.BIAKelsey.com)
BIA/Kelsey advises companies in the local media space through consulting and valuation services, research, Continuous Advisory Services and conferences. Since 1983 BIA/Kelsey has been a resource to the media, mobile advertising, telecommunications, Yellow Pages and electronic directory markets, as well as to government agencies, law firms and investment companies looking to understand trends and revenue drivers. BIA/Kelsey's annual conferences draw executives from across industries seeking expert guidance on how companies are finding innovative ways to grow. Additional information is available at www.biakelsey.com, on the company's Local Media Watch blog and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/BIAKelsey.

About vSplash (www.vSplash.com)
Based in Lyndhurst, New Jersey, vSplash is a leading global provider of digital media and commerce solutions to SMB and local marketing aggregators. Using its trusted market data and analytics, vSplash identifies actual SMB needs, which represent real revenue opportunities for its partners. vSplash helps its partners capitalize on market opportunities by delivering scalable Web-based marketing, advertising, directory, commerce and fulfillment solutions for corporations, educational institutions and governments worldwide. vSplash leverages global resources and expertise deployed around the world to produce more than 10,000 forms of digital media each month. Follow vSplash on Twitter at http://twitter.com/vSplashTechlabs and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/vSplashTechlabs.

* Home page is defined as the first page of the website. Some websites have phone numbers on later pages.

SOURCE vSplash; BIA/Kelsey