Google helping local business owners - MSNewsNow.com - Jackson, MS

Google helping local business owners

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By Brandon Artiles - bio | email
JACKSON, MS (Mississippi News Now) -

The innovators at Google want to help businesses without a website to get one faster than a web search.  Dozens of local, small-to-medium business owners attended a workshop in downtown Jackson hosted by the search engine giant Monday.

The seminar at the Jackson Marriott titled "Mississippi Get Your Business Online", is designed to get businesses to expand their reach to customers by establishing an online footprint.

Google strategic partner manager Will Houston said it is essential that consumers can find your business online.

"97 percent of people looking for goods and services go and do searches on the Internet, and yet fewer than half of small-to-medium size businesses have a website," Houston said.

Google representatives were on-hand to walk entrepreneurs step-by-step on how to create a website.  Houston, who is a Tunica native and now calls San Francisco home, said he is excited to return to share this information with business owners in the Magnolia State.

"What we're trying to do is make it fast, easy, and free to get online, so if those companies don't have a website we'll help them get one, set it up for free and help them figure out how to advertise their goods and services," Houston said.

The workshop was free and promoted by U.S. Senator Thad Cochrane, R-Miss.  In addition to Google, the event was sponsored by the Mississippi Small Business Development Center, SCORE and Intuit.

Copyright 2012 WLBT. All rights reserved.

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