PRIME business club

The government is backing a scheme by Google, Enterprise UK and a number of other partners including PRIME to get more British businesses online. The campaign will kick of later this month with the launch of a set of free tools to simplify the building of a straightforward business web site, hosted by Google. 

The scheme is called Getting British Business Online (GBBO). It is a nationwide campaign that will offer small businesses located in the UK the tools and knowledge to do business online from their own free website.

You can pre-register your interest by leaving your email on the GBBO web site.

We’ve not yet seen the automated web site building tool, so we’ve not had a chance to check out how good it is or what the limitations are. But here’s what GBBO promise.

You get:

A free web address: Choose from any available ‘.co.uk’ domain name. If the name you want is already taken, the system will suggest another.

A free web site: You complete a short form online and and the system promises will create a customised, professional looking website, tailored to their business type

Free online marketing: All sites created will be listed for relevant queries in the Google search engine.

 
PRIME has worked with Enterprise UK and the relevant government department BIS before, which is why we are think it is worth keeping an eye on how this scheme develops. The web site is free, so if it’s any good it’s probably worth investigating to see if it’s suitable for your business. There are also likely to be a number of training providers offering courses to help people who need it. Some of these may not be free.

For businesses that already have a web site GBBO is promising another set of tools to help them perfect and market their web site. But is too early to say anything more about them.

GBBO FAQ