SMEs turn to the web for better business

Just over half (52%) of the UK’s small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs)  now use the internet as the primary channel to promote their company and to communicate with partners, according to a research report from BT Business.

Despite this, the Small Businesses and the Internet report highlights that 40% of the UK ’s SMEs companies still do not have a dedicated company web site, and 21% have no online presence at all. This was particularly true for sole traders, where half (48%) have no web presence to speak of.

Three quarters of businesses (74%), see the internet as playing an important role in achieving their goals in the next five years, with 63% believing that it allows them to compete with bigger players and in different markets.

The research also showed that more than half of respondents (57%) believed that the world of business has become less personal as a result of technology and 15% of SMEs never trust the companies that they meet on the internet.