Majority of SMB Websites Fail to Provide Social Links, Contact Info

Just 19.5 percent of small to medium business websites have a link from their site to theirFacebook page, with even fewer linking out to a Twitter or LinkedIn presence. In addition, 6 out of 10 sites are missing either a local or toll-free phone number on their homepage.

These and other startling insights from the SMB DigitalScape collection and analysis of over 1 million websites were released in advance of a presentation of the data at Search Starts Here, happening this weekend in Boca Raton. Together, analysts from BIA/Kelsey and vSplash will discuss the implications of the widening gap between consumer adoption of digital platforms and the deficiencies in SMBs’ digital presence.

Small and medium businesses are already challenged in many ways, as they try to coax consumers through a buying cycle that may integrate online and offline marketing elements. It is critical that companies are able to guide consumers seamlessly onto the next step, with readily available contact information and access to the type of information they are seeking at the time.

SMB DigitalScape is a data collection and analysis engine developed by vSplash. In this look into sites from 14 countries, including over 700,000 sites in the U.S., they also discovered:

• 74.7 percent of SMB websites lack an email link on their homepage 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.

“SMBs worldwide are falling behind consumers in the digital commerce arena,” BIA/Kelsey President Neal Polachek said in a statement. “There’s a tremendous opportunity for SMB aggregators and resellers to bridge this gap, but it will require strategic commitment and solid execution.”

Recent growth in mobile, in particular, points to a lot of money potentially left lying on the table if consumers are lost at some point in their decision making and buying process due to a lack of information or unclear next steps.