Websites Now Free for Kansas Businesses

KANSAS CITY, Kan., Aug. 30, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Google is announcing Kansas Get Your Business Online. Designed with prominent local and national partners to help drive economic growth, the program provides businesses in Kansas the tools and resources to establish a website, find new customers, and grow their businesses.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110830/CG60012LOGO)

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. Participating businesses also receive a local business listing on Google Places and free tools, training and resources to succeed online.

Getting online represents an enormous economic opportunity for Kansas businesses. While 97% of Americans look online for local products and services, 63% of American small businesses do not have a website or online presence. That's a lot of small businesses that are virtually invisible to potential customers looking online. The perception that getting online is complex, costly and time-consuming has prevented many small businesses from taking the first step.

"Small businesses in Kansas need to be online because that's where their customers are. Now they have a chance to easily and quickly create their own web presence and grow their businesses online," said Scott Levitan, Marketing Director for Google.

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

"The Kansas Get Your Business Online Program is a fantastic opportunity that Google is offering to Kansas businesses to assist them in establishing an online presence," said Mayor/CEO of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas Joe Reardon. "Many small businesses do not have a website. Visibility online has become increasingly important as consumers rely more and more each day on the internet to look for services and companies. We appreciate Google reaching out to our small business community to offer this beneficial program."

"Because more than 90 percent of our members are small businesses, the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce understands the impact that small businesses have on the local economy, and we know that having a Web presence is becoming more and more important to the success of small businesses. Google's free resources to help get Kansas businesses online represent a significant opportunity for our region. We are thrilled to be partnering with Google on the initiative," said Jim Heeter, President and CEO of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce.

About Kansas Get Your Business Online

Kansas Get Your Business Online is a joint initiative by Google, Intuit, Association of Small Business Development Centers, MeetUP, SCORE, The Kauffman Foundation, Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Greater Kansas City, Kansas City Kansas Chamber of Commerce, Kansas City Area Development Council, Kansas City Sourcelink, Lawrence Chamber of Commerce, Mid-America Regional Council, Wichita Independent Business Association, Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce, MidAmerica Minority Business Development Council, Urban League of Greater Kansas City and other business organizations to provide complementary resources and tools to help small businesses create a website and help them understand the huge economic opportunities offered through the Internet.

The program has set a target of helping tens of thousands of Kansas businesses get online over the next 12 months. To learn more about Kansas Get Your Business Online, please visit www.KansasGetOnline.com.

MEDIA NOTES:

• Kansas City events occur from 7:30AM to 6:30PM at the OfficePort in Kansas City on August 31st and September 1st. OfficePort is located at 208 W. 19th Street in Kansas City, Missouri.
• Senator Claire McCaskill, Mayor Sly James, Mayor Joe Reardon and Scott Levitan will make remarks at 11:15AM on Wednesday, August 31st at OfficePort.
• Scott Levitan from Google and Ralph Matlack, Group Product Manager at Intuit will be available for media interviews on site in Kansas City, or via telephone.

SOURCE Kansas Get Your Business Online with Google