UK Local Search

UK small businesses are confident regarding the economy, are increasingly dependent on the internet and are being assisted by increased online consumer shopping.

2010-04-29T00:08:00.000-07:00

Easynet Connect reports that 79% of small UK firms believe that the improvement in the economy will provide good opportunities for them. The internet is now a critical part of small companies operations with 81% of those surveyed saying they could not function for one day without online access.

38% of small businesses currently intend to invest in IT, 30% will increase online staff training and 15% will increase staff numbers.

Cloud computing is also becoming more popular with small firms. 24% of survey respondents said they were unhappy with their current broadband service, and 63% of them complained about the speed and reliability of their internet connection.

IMRG reports that small UK companies are also benefiting from the increase in online commerce. 51% of UK adults purchased goods on the internet in the last three months.

In the 10 years since consumer broadband connections became available, the value of online shopping in the UK has increased by 6,000%.

Mobile shopping is also increasing quickly, from both laptops and hand held devices, with a growth in laptop ownership from 34% to 53% in the past year.

V3.co.uk reports that 76% of the UK population now has internet access.

So the economic climate for small UK firms has improved. We help small UK companies by sending them qualified prospects from our Local Search facility in our Business Directory at no cost to them. Most of the 1.6 million businesses listed are small businesses.

Monte Huebsch, CEO.

Industrial growth in the UK indicates an improvement in the economic outlook.

2010-02-11T13:43:00.000-08:00

The National Institute of Economic and Social research said that industrial production increased in December faster than had been expected. Previously the last quarter’s growth rate for the economy was said to be .1%. It is now believed that it increased by .2%.

In the last quarter of 2009, factory, mine, and oil and gas production increased by .4% according to the Office of National Statistics, compared to .1% which they had said in January was the improvement.

The effect of heavy snow falls may have a disruptive effect on this quarter’s economic results and also the VAT rate was returned to 17.5%.

Production from industry provides approximately 17% of the UK GDP. In the economic recession, output fell to 15%, however many countries experienced falls of 25%.

German industrial production has increased 5% from its recent low point and, in the UK there are other reports of improvement in manufacturing. For example the purchasing managers’ index is the highest it has been for 15 years.

There’s a glint of sunshine in the improved industrial production figures and we also help by sending UK businesses qualified prospects at no cost to them from our Local Search facility in our Business Directory.

Monte Huebsch, CEO

UK Small businesses are using alternative financing methods.

2010-02-09T20:52:00.000-08:00

Bank lending to businesses increased in November 2009, which was the first increase since January 2009. However, small businesses are looking outside traditional bank loans for finance, due to the fact that the banks are currently less than accommodating.

A survey by Bibby Financial Services reported that 40% of small businesses said that obtaining finance was critical for them and that 74% of them found that tighter bank loan approval requirements had made it substantially harder to borrow.

Factoring and invoice discounting is filling the funding gap for small firms. The Asset Based Finance Association reports that funding to UK firms in the third quarter of 2009 was £46,667 million, an increase of 4% on the previous quarter.

Invoice finance offers a number of benefits for small firms:

The facility is more flexible than a normal bank loan or overdraft.

The funds are available as soon as the client is invoiced.

There is less time spent on managing credit and in debt collection.

Cash flow is improved.

And, many of the factoring lenders provide bad debt protection.

Small UK firms need all the assistance they can get, since they will provide the jobs to lower the current high unemployment rate.

We help them by providing qualified prospects at no cost to them from our Local Search facility in our UK Business Directory. Most of the 1.6 million businesses listed are small firms.

Monte Huebsch, CEO

85% of UK small businesses say they will expand their business in 2010.

2010-02-04T20:56:00.000-08:00

In a recent survey of 530 UK small businesses, Peopleperhour.com reported that the recession had a negative effect on only 25% of them. 33% said that the economic downturn produced a benefit since it had forced them to use technology and the internet to lower their business costs.

Another survey, by the Investec Entrepreneur Confidence Index, confirmed these results, showing that 90% of small firms say their revenue will increase in 2010. That study also reported that two thirds expect the economy to get better in 2010, 83% say the economy will not decline, 72% think that this year will be good for them and 46% intend to spend on new technology.

UK business confidence is at a six year high.

The UK economy grew by .1% in the last quarter of 2010, which means that the recession is formally over, but the GDP growth figure was less than what had been expected. There had been six consecutive quarters of negative growth previously, the longest negative period since the inception of the records in 1955.

Accessing finance is still a problem for small firms. A survey by Graydon UK reported that in the last 6 months of last year, 40% of small business finance applications were refused, 52% had business loans rejected and 28% of overdraft extensions were refused. 28% borrowed from family or friends and 8% used personal credit cards for business purposes.

So the positive spirit of small UK businesses has not been blunted and since the small firms will be the main vehicle for hiring new staff, that is important.

We help by sending qualified prospects to them from our Local Search facility on our UK Business Directory at no cost to them. Most of the 1.6 million firms listed are small businesses.

Monte Huebsch, CEO.

UK small businesses think 2010 will be a successful year.

2010-01-06T13:50:00.000-08:00

A survey by O2 of 3,000 small business proprietors found a positive attitude towards the business climate for this year. 25% say they are in a better financial position than a year ago and 32% said they were more confident than they were a year ago.

The survey found that many small firms had tightened their operations over the last year. 39% reported that they had reduced staff numbers compared to 1% last June. In addition, many have reduced stock, improved payment arrangements with the firms who supply them, and taken a more prudent approach to granting credit.

They also said that not increasing staff wages and not paying for employee holidays had assisted them.

59% expect to do better this year than in 2009 and 35% anticipate enhanced profits in the first quarter of this year.

69% said that their main worry is the state of the economy which is still in recession; however Treasury expects growth to be 1% to 1.5% in 2010. Concern was also expressed about an increase in tax and interest rates and the lack of finance available from banks.

62% of the small business owners said the depreciation of the pound had not affected them and 12% said it had helped their business with better returns from exports.

65% said that investment in technology had assisted with improved productivity with 44% said that mobile phones and mobile internet connectivity had made a major contribution. 66% said they will keep their investment in technology at the same level and 16% said they would increase their spending.

So the economic recession has made UK small businesses more efficient and ready to benefit from the anticipated return to positive growth.

We help by providing qualified prospects to them at no cost from our Local Search facility in our UK Business Directory. Most of the 1.6 million businesses listed are small firms.

Monte Huebsch, CEO

Europe generally lags behind the US regarding internet access.

2009-12-15T21:06:00.000-08:00

GFK Custom Research Worldwide surveyed almost 17,000 people in 17 countries in September, to establish the level of access to the internet in the various countries. 15 Western and Eastern European counties were included plus Turkey and the US.

In Western Europe, 61% of those surveyed said that they had online access from work, home, an internet café or a mobile phone.

In Eastern Europe, 59% reported having internet access.

In the US, 75% said they had online access.

In the survey results, the Netherlands and Sweden both had very high internet access levels, 91% and 86% respectively. This is a reflection of the strength of their economies and of the wealth of their residents.

The lowest results came from Italy with 39%, Romania with 36% and Bulgaria with 37%, the last two being the least affluent of EU countries. The low level in Italy may be due to the high level of communication by mobile phones there and the fact that the Italian government has not pursued high levels of internet connectivity.

42% of the Europeans said that they thought that content on the net should be free, but only 21% in the US agreed with that suggestion.

Regarding the use of the net, 13% of Western Europeans said that online shopping was the most important aspect, compared to 12% in the US and 25% in the UK who rated shopping as their number one online activity.

This very high figure for the UK seems to be combinations of the trust UK consumers have in online transactions and the bad UK weather which makes shopping without leaving home more appealing.

As the importance of online access continues to increase, the counties with the highest levels of internet usage by their population will have decided advantages over those who lag in getting people connected to the net.

We help with our Local Search facility in our UK Business Directory, by delivering prospects to the 1.6 million businesses listed, with no cost to them

Monte Huebsch, CEO

The UK government is paying companies who supply them quickly but large, private sector companies are still paying too slowly.

2009-11-29T12:55:00.000-08:00

The Department of Business Innovation and Skills said that 95% of invoices sent to the UK government are now being paid within 10 days. This is a result of government action taken last year to assist small businesses with cash flow through the economic downturn.

Local government is not doing as well, with only 42% of invoices being paid within 10 days, the average payment period being 18 days.

However, only 22 of the FTSE 100 companies have committed to the government’s Prompt Payment Code, which was introduced a year ago. The cost to UK businesses in 2009 is estimated at £189 million, in interest on late paying invoices.

On average, private companies paid 21 days after the due date and large companies were the slowest payers.

So while companies are paying slightly faster than they have been, the paying cycle still reflects reluctance to part with the cash.

The Forum of Private Business said that late payments were hurting suppliers and the worst hit was smaller firms. They appealed to large companies to speed up the payment of invoices to assist the economy to recover and to relieve the rate of unemployment.

Small UK businesses have experienced a very trying time and they appreciate the prospects that we send to them, without cost, from our Local Search facility in our UK Business Directory. The vast majority of the 1.6 million business listed in our directory are small firms.

Monte Huebsch, CEO

The increase in receivables finance indicates an improvement in UK small business results.

2009-11-23T20:20:00.000-08:00

The Institute for Factors and Discounters reports that receivables finance increased by 2% in the September quarter, compared to the previous quarter.

Receivables finance is financing provided to small businesses so that payment is received promptly, rather than having to wait for an extended period to be paid by the companies they are supplying.

However, while the September quarter result was an improvement, it was still down 6.8% on the 2008 September quarter.

Across 6,000 businesses, the average period for debt payment was 42.7 days in the last quarter, a one day improvement on the June quarter, and the June quarter was a one day improvement on the quarter before that.

With discounting, Institute member firms buy the small company’s debt but leave them with the job of collecting the debt. Factoring is where Institute member firms buy the debt and accept some of the responsibility for collecting the debt.

So this is an indicator that small businesses are starting to see an improvement in sales results. Because receivables finance is primarily a service for smaller firms, it is a good measurement of the state of the sales activity of smaller companies.

This is important since, according to UK Trade & industry, small UK businesses provide 59.2% of private sector employment and 51.2% of total private sector revenue.

We assist small UK firms by providing them with qualified prospects at no cost to them from our Local Search facility in our Business Directory. There are 1.6 million business listed in our directory, most of which are small companies.

Monte Huebsch, CEO

Larger UK businesses are not borrowing the approved and available funds, while small firms can’t get loans.

2009-11-23T14:09:00.000-08:00

The Bank of England reports that lending to UK companies reduced by £4.6 billion in September, which made the one year growth the lowest since 1999, when records started being kept.

While some small businesses said they had problems accessing loan funds, lenders said that borrowers were very wary about taking on debt and that the funds the banks had available were not being accessed.

The Royal Bank of Scotland, now government controlled, said they had £27 billion in business loans that were approved and that had not been taken up. Lloyds Banking Group Plc, which is now 43% government owned, said they also had tens of billions of approved loans that are not being used.

HSBC Holdings Plc said that they had £1 billion in additional loan funds available for businesses and that only £600 million had been borrowed. They also said that debt repayments had accelerated.

The government’s contribution of £58 billion in bail out funds to the Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group Plc came with a promise that they would increase lending by £25 billion and £28 respectively over two years.

The Bank of England reports that consumers in the UK currently have £1.46 trillion in debt, more than the country’s gross domestic product, however consumer borrowing fell by £262 in September, the third month in a row of falling consumer debt.

At the same time, a British Chamber of Commerce survey in November found that a third of small UK firms, that is with fewer than 50 staff, found it more difficult to get loans from banks since June.

So there is a situation where larger firms have substantial loan funds available to them, which are not being taken up but many small companies are still not able to borrow what they require.

We assist small UK firms by sending them prospects at no cost from our Local Search facility in our UK Business Directory. Most of the 1.6 million UK companies listed in our directory are small businesses.

Monte Huebsch, CEO

One tenth of UK retail banking business is for sale.

2009-11-04T19:42:00.000-08:00

The UK Treasury announced that the European Commission has approved the break up and sale of some of the assets of the two major state owned banks.

The Treasury will provide an additional £25 billion to the Royal Bank of Scotland and almost £6 billion more to Lloyds. The arrangement will make the Royal Bank of Scotland more controlled by the government, with the percentage of public ownership increasing from 70% to 84%.

Lloyds will be no more accountable to the government, which owns 43% of the bank.

In return for government support, the Royal Bank of Scotland will sell 318 branches, 14% of its UK network and Lloyds will sell 600 branches, about 20% of its UK network.

The Royal Bank of Scotland is offering for sale businesses with 1.7 million clients, including 230,000 small business clients and £20 billion in assets. It is also required to sell its insurance businesses, plus its international merchant services business which processes debit and credit card payments, and its interest in its commodity trading business.

Lloyds is selling almost 5% of UK current personal accounts and about 19% of its mortgage assets.

Treasury said that the buyers must be small or new businesses to ensure diversity and competition.

As most of the developed world is now out of recession, and the UK is expected to have positive growth in the next quarter, this restructure will affect the small businesses that are expected to provide new jobs to reduce the current high employment rate.

We’re assisting UK small businesses by sending them prospective customers, at no cost to them, from our Local Search facility in our UK Business Directory. Most of the 1.6 million business listed in our directory are small firms.

Monte Huebsch, CEO

UK small businesses are confident despite the continuing negative economic growth.

2009-11-02T20:40:00.000-08:00

CBI’s Trends Survey of 424 small UK firms said that while demand for products, services and manufactured goods continued to be down over the last three months, the businesses expected the next quarter to improve. Their level of confidence is at the highest level since April 2007.

40% of the all the businesses surveyed said new orders declined in the past three months and 24% said there was an increase. The output of small manufacturing firms was down for 35% of the firms and up for 22% of them.

The US economy has returned to growth of .9% in the quarter from July to September, after 4 quarters of negative growth. The UK economy recorded a loss of .4% for the same period.

The stimulus measures taken in the US were more substantial than the action taken in the UK. The US Commerce Department said that, in the quarter, demand for manufactured goods increased by an annualised rate of 22%, the best result since 2001, largely as a result of the Government’s cash for clunkers car scheme.

The US housing market for housing products was up 23% annualised, the largest increase since 1986, a result of the government’s first home buyer’s US$8,000 tax credit. US exports also increased, by 21% on an annualised basis, the best result since 1996.

With the US, Japan, Germany and France now out of recession; the UK should go back into positive growth quickly.

Small UK businesses are resilient and will recover to help reduce the number of unemployed. We help them by sending them qualified prospects from our Local Search Facility in our UK Business Directory with no cost to them. There are 1.6 million businesses listed in our directory and most of them are small firms.

Monte Huebsch, CEO

Small UK businesses think the recession will end in early 2010.

2009-10-20T23:11:00.000-07:00

In a survey of 7,200 small UK businesses, BT Business reports that 75% of them think the business cycle will turn up next year with 35% saying they think it will improve in January next year.

Since there are 4.7 million small businesses, the positive response will to some extent be self fulfilling.

In addition, in the survey, 45% of small firms reported that their business had been improved due to the pressure exerted by the economic slump, and 41% say that they will diversify as the financial climate improves.

While half say that their business revenue is currently down, with 25% saying the drop is over 10%, 60% are upbeat about their expected results next year.

During the downturn, half of small businesses borrowed from family and friends rather than their bank.

The survey reports that small firms want more easy access to finance, legal advice and assistance in developing their business.

However, the restructuring firm, Begbies Traynor, says that over 130,000 small businesses are in financial trouble and that in previous recessions, small business failures reached a peak between one and two years after the UK economy returned to growth.

Ernst and Young agrees with them, suggesting that it will be 2012 before economic growth is restored to its long term average.

So small companies think that the end of the economic gloom is in sight but it appears that there will be more pain for them as growth returns.

We help UK small firms by providing them with qualified prospects from our Local Search facility in our UK Business Directory, at no cost to them. Most of the 1.6 million businesses listed in our directory are small firms.

Monte Huebsch, CEO

The UK government has a goal of getting everyone online within three years.

2009-10-19T21:04:00.000-07:00

Research by The Office of Digital Inclusion says that there are 14 million people in the UK who do not have internet access.

The inclusion of these individuals should produce a benefit of £22 billion including £8 billion income provided by additional online sales.

The estimate of the public sector saving is substantial, with £900 to be saved by a more economical contact system with clients, when those currently offline have access.

A number of companies are involved in assisting with the project, including Google and BT.

£12 million in funding will be provided to a number of organisations, to be controlled by Odcom, the regulator.

An essential aspect of making the project a success is for broadband to be less expensive and have wider coverage, particularly to rural areas.

Organisations which use self service to improve economies in providing their services will benefit greatly, with fewer employees required. Also, the option of working away from an office becomes more possible.

The research indicates there would be an income increase for unemployed people who gain online access due to enhanced work options and incapacitated individuals would also benefit in being able to work remotely.

As more commerce and communication occurs via the internet, not being online is a major issue.

We help effective communication by having extensive listings on Google for our UK Local Search facility in our Business Directory. We provide prospects to the 1.6 million businesses listed, at no cost to them.

Monte Huebsch, CEO

One in three UK small businesses has been affected by fraud.

2009-10-18T19:26:00.000-07:00

Research from Fellowes and the National Fraud Authority reports that a third of small UK firms have suffered loss due to fraud and only 3% of UK consumers are totally confident that their information which is held by firms with whom they deal is secure.

A guide for businesses which spells out the risks, gives advice on securing business information and how to deal with a security breach, is now available: http://www.stop-idfraud.co.uk .

The research shows that two thirds of firms have no real procedure for dealing with documents with confidential details and that a third of employees just dispose of those documents by putting them in the waste paper bin.

44% of UK staff does not shred documents which contain confidential details. Only 54% check financial statements, only 45% look for missing mail and 31% do not report lost sensitive information.

62% of companies fear financial loss from fraud and 43% are concerned about harm to their reputation. Over 70% of UK staff thinks their companies should take more care in the handling of documents containing confidential information.

The Government says that the UK economy loses £1.2 billion a year due to identity fraud. 60,000 firms have been affected this year, a 36% increase over the same period last year.

A business which is exposed to fraud may have a difficult time surviving. The disruption to normal business practices caused can be difficult at best. The attitude that it happens to someone else is common but not realistic.

We check the identity of firms listing in our Business Directory for our UK Local Search facility carefully by an opt–in and confirmation system. We send UK businesses qualified business leads with no cost to them, our directory being funded by Google Adsense advertising.

Monte Huebsch, CEO

UK online credit card fraud levels are lower but more sophisticated techniques are now being employed by cyber criminals to access online bank accounts.

2009-10-15T20:31:00.000-07:00

Financial Fraud Action UK reports that credit card fraud was reduced to a loss of £232 million in the 6 month period this year, a drop of 23% from the same period a year ago.

Fraud losses on lost and stolen credit cards are down 6% to £25 million, the lowest figure since 1991.

The credit card companies have been very active in instituting a variety of online securities measures, which are having the desired effect.

The introduction of additional online security techniques, including the need to use a password when making an online purchase, has meant a reduction in fraud of 18% in internet, mail order and purchases via the telephone. Also, the use of a PIN in UK retail establishments has further reduced the fraud level.

However, online banking fraud increased by 55% in the first half of 2009. Losses from online banking fraud were £39 million in the first six months of this year.

Phishing is a major contributor to the banking fraud increase, with 26,000 of those actions, a 26% increase, over the six months.

This technique targets consumers rather than banks, which have much more secure procedures. The quality of a false email, asking for bank details to be updated, is very convincing, with an identical look to a genuine communication.

Small UK businesses are especially vulnerable since the volume of the email they receive is increasing on an ongoing basis and most business financial transactions are done online.

While banks may eventually compensate the companies for losses, the disruption involved in suffering a substantial cash flow reduction is very difficult for small firms to deal with.

Caution and a healthy level of scepticism are needed.

We assist small UK businesses by giving them prospects from our Local Search facility in our UK Business Directory with zero cost for them. There are 1.6 million businesses listed in our directory and the vast majority are small firms.

Monte Huebsch, CEO

The UK Post Office now offers business insurance to 95% of small UK businesses.

2009-10-14T22:31:00.000-07:00

The UK Post office now can provide business insurance for most types of small UK businesses. 80% of small firms who have a major loss due to fire, accident, or some other event, fail within 18 months because they were not sufficiently insured.

The Post Office is offering attractive premium rates and covers fire, theft, public liability, professional indemnity, equipment, and interruption to trading due to an accident or breakdown.

The Post Office has staff available to advise what insurance is required by law what additional cover should be considered.

Small businesses have cut back on many overheads during the economic downturn and the use of professional services and outlays such as insurance have been reduced.

This is a case of where the most vulnerable are also the most exposed and least able to cope with a disastrous event.

Since many small businesses use the Post Office regularly for business banking, the service should help to ensure that the insurance which is essential to cover the business risks is in force.

We help UK small businesses by providing qualified prospects to them, without any cost, from our UK Local Search facility in our Business Directory. There are 1.6 million businesses listed and most of them are small businesses.

Monte Huebsch, CEO

UK Internet advertising outlay now exceeds the amount spent on TV advertising.

2009-10-08T15:06:00.000-07:00

The internet advertising expenditure in Denmark exceeded that spent on TV six months ago, and now the UK has reached a similar position.

A study by the Internet Advertising Bureau reports that advertisers in the UK spent £1.75 billion in the half year to 30 June, an increase of 4.6% on the same period last year. This has grown from only £19.4 million in 1998, when it was first measured.

Internet advertising is now 23.5% of the total of advertising expenditure in the UK and TV ads make up 21.9%. The TV advertising outlay was reduced by 17% in this period to £1.6 billion.

Online search advertising made up 60%, an amount of £1.05 billion, of the £1.75 billion amount spent online. This was increase of 6.8% over the previous year’s first 6 months.

The amount spent on Internet classified ads increased by 10.6% to £385 million, 22% of the total of online advertising. However, internet display ads outlay was reduced by 5.2% to £316.5 million, which was 18% of the total internet ad spend. The fall in online display advertising was the response of larger companies to the recession.

Video advertising on the net, which is a new field, grew 300% to £12 million.

The Internet Advertising Bureau suggests that there is still substantial growth to come in online advertising, with a prediction that it will reach 30% of all advertising, a figure of £4 - £5 billion.

This trend of advertisers following consumers online is dramatic. The only query on how this will continue is whether social network sites, where the user numbers are growing very fast, will be able to successfully incorporate effective advertising without losing their members.

Online advertising is growing quickly because of the ability to track results and accurately determine the cost of acquiring new business.

We make this service available free to the 1.6 businesses listed in our Business Directory via our Local Search facility. We provide them with qualified prospects, with no cost to them.

Monte Huebsch, CEO.

UK traditional media companies intend to charge for their online content and Social Networking sites are also looking to monetise their business models.

2009-10-06T17:06:00.000-07:00

A UK survey by the Association of Online Publishers says that 7 in 10 newspapers, magazines and TV firms intend to charge for access to their online content within the next year.

A third of those who intend to charge favour a pay for use model, with a only small fee being involved.

The firms surveyed said they would charge for special reports, applications that are downloaded, archived material, and content designed for mobile devices.

86% said that they either do, or will provide, sites accessible to mobiles within the next year.

Social networking sites are the current high growth area in terms of members, with Facebook, established three years ago, now exceeding 300 million members and growing at 5 million members a week. Facebook announced that they are about to become profitable, based on the advertising revenue they generate. Facebook has a current valuation estimate of $5 billion.

Twitter is another site with rapid growth, with 45 million users currently. It has raised $100 million in venture capital but as yet has no income stream. The have altered their terms and conditions recently to allow advertising.

MySpace was the early star, having acquired 50 million users in just two years, but it is now falling out of fashion, having reduced its workforce by 30%, and it is losing advertising revenue at a rate of 15% each year.

Linkedin is a site for professionals which is profitable and currently has 43 million members. 81% are university graduates with an average age of 41 and an average income of £75,000.

While traditional media firms will try to make charging for content acceptable, there is doubt as to how well that will work. Specialist titles such as The Wall Street Journal have a successful subscription model, but generally people are averse to paying for content they have been used to receiving free.

We take the Google view that information should be free, supported by advertising. Our UK Local Search facility in our Business Directory sends prospects to the 1.6 million businesses listed, with no cost to them.

Monte Huebsch, CEO

Small businesses in the UK have made many adjustments to cope with the economic downturn but 12% don’t have any commercial insurance cover.

2009-09-30T22:49:00.000-07:00

A survey by Aviva reports that 56% of UK small businesses have adjusted their business practices to survive the recession. They have introduced new products or services and started trading for extended hours including weekends. 28% are offering increased discounts and 18% have reduced staff income or hours worked. 10% have reduced the number of their permanent staff.

A critical area of risk for small businesses is that 12% said they had no commercial insurance in force. Since liability insurance is a legal requirement, this is a concern. There are 11,000 serious injuries in UK workplaces each year, so the exposure is substantial.

A major problem expressed was cash flow, with 38% saying it was their primary worry. This was a particular issue for retail shops, restaurants and firms in the leisure field. Those offering professional services were less affected.

23% said that paperwork was a great time consumer since they are now doing the work themselves and 19% said borrowing funds was a problem.

Owners of 20% of small firms in the survey work over 50 hours a week.

The internet is the main source of information for small businesses with 84% of the small company respondents saying that is where they look for answers to business problems.

Keeping the tax authorities happy is deemed important with 91% saying they get professional accounting advice.

UK small businesses have had to be flexible to survive when competing with their larger company rivals. We help by sending them qualified prospects from our Local Search facility in our UK Business Directory, with no cost for them. There are 1.6 million businesses listed in our Directory and most are small firms.

Monte Huebsch, CEO.

UK small business entrepreneurs aged 50 years plus are enjoying both business success and a balanced lifestyle.

2009-09-29T17:40:00.000-07:00

Now more than 25% of new UK companies are being established by individuals aged 50 years and over and they have a better success rate than is usually experienced by new small businesses.

The National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts reports that from 2001 to 2005, this older group of business people established 93,000 new firms in the UK, creating 400,000 new jobs. Many of these new businesses were in IT and the arts, fields normally considered the area of interest for younger people.

In the UK, currently, only about 33% of the over 55’s age group are employed. Since it is difficult to find employment for this group, starting a new business has increased appeal.

A 2007 Kingston University study found that the average revenue for a business run by someone over age 50 was £67,500 with 10% having revenue of over £100,000. The motivation given was: 39% wanted the enjoyment involved in running the business, 29% mentioned a better work/life balance and 24% liked not having to answer to anyone else. 9% work alone and half said they were happier than ever before in their life.

Another appeal was the fact that no externally imposed retirement age was applied to them.

There are a number of websites that have been created to assist older people start their own businesses in the UK: Mature Enterprise has two websites primeinitiative.co.uk and primebusinessclub.co.uk . The Age and Employment Network is at taen.org.uk and special business finance is available at zopa.com .

This group of individuals have great knowledge and experience and the results demonstrate that success in running their own business is possible.

We help UK small businesses by sending them qualified prospects from our Local Search facility in our Business Directory, at no cost to them. Our Directory has 1.6 million businesses listed and the majority are small businesses.

Monte Huebsch, CEO.

UK Small Businesses have currency exposure risk of £24 billion each year.

2009-09-23T23:58:00.000-07:00

American Express FX International Payments reports, in a survey of over 500 UK small businesses, that 39% of them now do business internationally, but 56% do not manage their currency fluctuation risk exposure.

This means that over 500,000 small UK businesses are exposed, on average £41,000 a year, to volatile currency movements.

30% responded that they had not even considered protecting their currency risk, 19% said they thought that the administration involved exceeded the benefit, 13% did not understand the benefit involved, and 8% said they thought that the facility was only of assistance to large firms.

15% of small business that trade offshore said that it was very difficult to make international payments an easy procedure.

Many of the 44% who do manage their currency risk said they were not being as time and cost effective as they would like to be, with half spending two to five days a month on the matter.

The survey said that the average small business queries five international payments a year, with the related costs that are incurred.

Online platforms provided by foreign exchange specialists are able to reduce the average international transaction down to two minutes.

Since small UK businesses now provide employment for half of the private sector workforce, enhanced productivity by the use of currency risk professionals is very important.

We assist with the productivity of UK small businesses with our Local Search facility in our UK Business Directory by sending them qualified prospects at no cost to them. There are 1.6 million businesses listed in our directory, and the vast majority are small businesses.

Monte Huebsch, CEO.

43% of UK businesses have no idea how well their website is working.

2009-09-21T23:38:00.000-07:00

Fasthosts Internet reports, in a survey of 430 UK businesses, that while the average UK business has had a website for between 3 years and 4 years, 25% of the owners do not perceive their website as a source of new sales.

77% of those contacted in the study had no procedure to measure the return on investment from their website and 33% never check the popularity of their site or its level of effectiveness.

In the first 6 months of 2009, 83% of small businesses had not checked the contribution of their website to their business plan.

While 57% note the level of traffic to their site, only 40% look where the visitors are coming from and only 33% check which sections of their site are being visited.

Although 50% of the firms said they were satisfied with their website and 43% said that their site was important to their sales results, the survey demonstrates that firms do not analyse the results that they achieve.

Google provides an excellent free tool for recording and viewing website results, Analytics: www.google.com/analytics . This was a US$5,000 a year software package prior to Google buying the company and providing it free to clients.

Analytics provides very accurate information on the traffic to websites.

The statistics provided by Internet Service Providers often contain search engine robots and spiders and the figures from them are not to be relied on, whereas the Analytics results are correct.

Your web developer should add it to every page of your website before the closing tag.

Both Google and UK Local Search are committed to helping small businesses succeed. We help by sending them prospects from our Local Search facility in our Business Directory at no cost to them. Most of the 1.6 million UK businesses listed are small businesses.

Monte Huebsch, CEO

UK small businesses pay 2.4 billion pounds a year in administration costs regarding employment of staff.

2009-09-20T22:28:00.000-07:00

The Forum of Private Business reports that one third of calls from members in August were regarding employment issues. Other matters raised were: redundancy 14% of calls, staff discipline 12%, dismissal 7%, and reduction of working hours 2%.

Other concerns raised were the increase in the National Minimum Wage and the minimum weekly redundancy payment increase.

The report says that small businesses spent an average of 10 hours a month on employment law matters.

The yearly expenditure incurred was: 259 million pounds on dismissals and redundancy, 391 million pounds on management, 237 million pounds on maternity, 333 million pounds on disciplinary matters and 1,175 million pounds on holidays.

The Tribunals Service reports that the number of employment tribunals in the UK increased from 115,000 in 2005 to 190,000 in 2008.

The Forum has provided a guide to help UK small businesses deal with the recent changes: http://www.fpb.org/shop/13/Employment_Guide_2010.htm .

Small businesses have limited capacity to deal with the time demands and expenditure involved in complying with the changing rules with employing staff. It’s another example of how small businesses have to be flexible and resilient in competing for business with larger companies.

We assist them by sending them qualified prospects from our UK Local Search facility in our Business Directory, which has 1.6 million listings, at no cost to them. Most of the listings are small businesses.

Monte Huebsch, CEO.

Small UK businesses are being hurt by slow paying larger companies and being helped by the time and money savings involved with cloud computing.

2009-09-15T21:48:00.000-07:00

The Federation of Small Businesses reports that about 4,000 small UK firms failed in the past year as a result of late payment of accounts by large companies. One third of small firms now wait longer to be paid.

60 days is now the usual payment period, with 90 days and 120 days now not uncommon. A 10% discount is sometimes charged for paying within a 60 days period.

On a more positive note, small firms can now effectively compete with large companies in the IT area by the use of cloud computing. Microsoft reports that the number of medium sized and small businesses using the cloud has increased by 30% in the last year.

The cost and time efficiencies of storing information on the internet and the ability of being able to access it from any location at any time is a great boost for small firms.

The movement of their information and records systems to online also avoids problems created by theft or fire.

Rackspace reports that 11% of mid sized UK businesses and 5% of micro businesses are now using the cloud. 60% of smaller businesses say they will use the cloud in the future.

So while slow paying of accounts by large companies is a major problem for small UK firms, cloud computing offers new cost economy and improved efficiency.

We assist small businesses with our Local Search Facility in our UK Business Directory, which has over 1.6 million businesses listed. Most are small businesses and we send them qualified prospects at no cost to them.

Monte Huebsch, CEO.

Online job ads are down 35% in the UK over the last year.

2009-09-09T21:17:00.000-07:00

The Monster Employment Index reports that UK online job ads reduced by 1% in August, down 35% for the period of a year ago.

The European index also reduced by 1%, down 37% year on year.

There were improvements in the fields of marketing, banking, finance and insurance. Reductions occurred in education, engineering and telecommunications.

East Anglia was the area registering the greatest improvement and Wales was the worst performing location.

Monster reports that the increased number of unemployed has provided employers with a large pool of potential employees from which to choose, which results in the reduction in online jobs being advertised.

Job demand has been stable for some months, after a substantial decline in 2008, but the number of job vacancies in the UK is not enough to equal the level of increasing job losses.

So UK businesses generally have not yet begun hiring again.

When they do, small businesses will provide the bulk of the employment upturn.

We are pleased to assist UK small businesses to enhance their productivity with our Local Search facility in our Business Directory which provides prospects to the 1.6 million businesses listed, most of which are small businesses, at no cost to them.

Monte Huebsch, CEO.

UK small businesses demonstrate a positive attitude despite the economic downtown.

2009-09-01T20:10:00.000-07:00

Business insurer Hiscox reports that small businesses in the UK have not made the dramatic reductions in staff and business outlays that have been a feature of large businesses’ reaction to the economic slowdown.

The study says that 88% of small businesses have not reduced salaries of employees and that 87% have persisted with the payment of staff bonuses.

85% have retained the same level of client entertainment outlays and 82% have maintained the same expenditure on office maintenance.

Only 9% have had staff reductions due to the poor economic conditions and 95% have kept the same level of insurance cover as held previously.

Despite this, the opinion of 45% of small business proprietors is that it will be another 12 months before business conditions return to normal with 23% thinking the recession will last until 2011.

The study says that 64% of small business owners think that increased demand for their products or services will indicate an end to the recession and 47% think that new business opportunities will be the indicator. 20% think that improved credit availability will be the signal of improvement.

This study demonstrates the patience and persistence of small businesses, compared to the automatic reduction response of large UK businesses.

Online local search is now an important source of new prospects for small UK businesses and our Business Directory Portal provides qualified prospects with no cost involved for the business.

Monte Huebsch, CEO.

A hint of confidence returns to the UK with rising residential property prices

2009-08-31T22:53:00.000-07:00

Hometrack Ltd reports that house prices in the UK have risen, after two years of reductions. In England and Wales, a .1% increase occurred in July, making the average house purchase price 155,000 pounds.

There has been no price increase in housing since 2007.

The report states that house prices peaked in September 2007 and have fallen 12% since that time.

This may be the first glimmer of light in the economic gloom.

The Nationwide Building Society reports that the UK economy reduced by .7% in April, May, and June, and unemployment is at the highest level since 1995.

The Bank of England has reduced its key rate to .5% and has provided the banking system with a deluge of cash with newly created funds.

Moneyfacts Plc reports that mortgage costs are still very high with a difference of 2.04% between the average two mortgage rates and the two year swap rate, which is the highest margin on record.

UK Businesses have been having a difficult time and increased housing prices may be an indication of an easing of the economic pressure.

Our UK Local Search Business Directory is assisting by providing qualified prospects to more than 1.6 million businesses who are listed via a good presence on Google and other search engines.

Monte Huebsch, CEO

The spouses of UK business owners make an important contribution to their success, but there are some concerns

2008-12-07T17:13:00.000-08:00

Bibby Financial Services reports that a supportive spouse is very helpful in making a business owner successful, but there are some problems.

38% of business owners’ partners think that working on weekends is normal and acceptable and 44% of spouses say that the business owner getting home late is their usual expectation.

Spouses contribute about £72 billion each year to the UK economy by helping their partner, providing 230 million unpaid hours of work monthly.

81% of small business proprietors have their work incorporated into their home life, with 45% working while watching TV, 27% working while eating, and 10% working in bed.

52% of business owners think that it is acceptable to sacrifice time with family and friends if required to do so for business reasons. However, only 18% of their spouses agree with that.

49% think that spending less time with their spouse is ok if required, but only 14% of their spouses agree with that.

40% of business owner think it is ok not to take an annual holiday if business demands their presence, but only 12% of spouses are happy with that. When they do go on holiday, 33% of business owners take work with them.

24% of spouses say that excessive work focus causes arguments and 29% say that lack of help around the house creates problems.

87% of spouses are regularly disappointed by their business owner partners regarding social activities and they say that their partners average 10 hours a day of work while claiming only to work between 6 and 9 hours a day.

So the spouses of business owners make a valuable contribution to their success but there are areas of contention.

We assist the profitable running of businesses with our UK Online Business Directory, which has 1.6 million businesses listed, by providing them with qualified prospects at no cost.

The UK is now the most advanced digital nation, based on usage

2008-12-03T20:20:00.000-08:00

An Ofcom international comparison study found that:

Regarding how much time UK internet users spend online, we are now number two, with fourteen hours a week online, an increase of 6.5 hours a week since 2004, the largest increase in the survey.

With the level of online advertising, the UK was top of the survey, with 19% of all UK advertising now being spent on the web.

25% of UK residents now have a broadband connection.

There are now nearly one million mobile online users and the coverage for faster mobile broadband speeds is best in the UK, of all the countries surveyed.

The Government has announced the development of a Digital Britain Plan - an analysis of the digital economy in the UK, to ensure that the current lead over other countries is not lost. In addition, the UK Government this week announced the cutting of the VAT we pay on goods and services purchased from 17.5% to 15% for the next year.

So the digital aspect of the UK economy is strong, despite the otherwise depressed financial circumstances.

Small businesses who are having a difficult time, with reduced credit and extended payment periods from larger businesses, are in a competitive position when it comes to digital marketing.

Google Ads have the same format for all businesses regardless of their size and financial clout. So while larger businesses may have a larger advertising budget, their smaller competitors can run online marketing very profitably.

We assist with our Online UK Local Search Business Directory, which has 1.6 million businesses listed, most of which are small businesses, by sending them qualified prospects without cost.

UK small businesses are a vitally important component of economic activity

2008-11-19T21:52:00.000-08:00

As the world wide credit crisis continues, the prediction for UK unemployment is now 2 million, the highest figure for 17 years.

There are now 4.3 million UK firms with less than 10 employees, which are 95% of all UK businesses. Less than 40% of these are registered for VAT, and they have turnover of less than £50,000 per annum.

14% of the total work force is self employed and it’s estimated that 25% will be self employed by 2020.

Self employment is important in an ageing workforce since someone who is made redundant at age 45 has only a one in 10 chance of finding a new job.

There are 400,000 new start-ups in the UK each year and 85% of those start ups will survive the critical first two years of trading.

These small businesses have the twin problems at this time of reduced credit being available to them and extended payment terms being enforced by larger companies.

Small businesses have the advantage of being much more worker friendly than their bigger company competitors. In the UK, in larger businesses, £24 billion is lost just in resolving in house corporate conflict each year.

We are helping with our UK Online Business Directory, which has 1.6 million businesses listed, the bulk of which are small businesses; by sending them qualified prospects, at no cost to them.

UK consumers increasingly are using Comparison Shopping Engines to get the best price

2008-10-30T14:27:00.000-07:00

E-consultancy and DoubleClick report that 43% of retailers say that the proportion of online sales coming through Comparison Shopping Engines has increased in the last 12 months, to 10% of their online sales from these sources.

400 E-consultancy users took part in an online survey about Comparison Shopping Engines during a three-week period in August and September 2008.

The research found that Google Shopping /Google Base is the most commonly used comparison engine, utilised by 63% of retailers.

21% of retailers are not currently using any comparison engines and 16% use just one comparison site.

59% of companies are not using online market places such as Amazon or eBay to sell their products.

29% said that they used their own tracking tools to track sales results from Comparison Shopping Engines, 24% use third party tools and 11% use CSE tracking. 32% use a combination of these methods.

Most manage their Comparison Shopping Engine feeds themselves, 13% use specialist companies and 13% use agencies.

Millions of pounds are now being spent by consumers using Comparison Shopping Engines and many businesses are not taking full advantage of this facility.

This is an example of how online tools can expand businesses that are up to speed with what can be done.

Our UK Online Business Directory, with 1.6 million businesses listed, also helps, with qualified prospects being provided, with zero cost for the business.

UK online consumer spending slows due to the depressed economic conditions

2008-10-26T21:57:00.000-07:00

The IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index reports that growth in online shopping in September 2008 was 14%, a reduction of the growth figure of 73.2% in September 2007.

This growth figure was the third month in a row that failed to reach 20% growth; however growth did occur in clothing, footwear and accessories which were up 24% on September 2007.

Alcohol, gifts and electrical appliances also showed an increase in spending.

The e-Retail Index agrees with UK payments association Apacs, which predicts Christmas spending will grow by 15% over last Christmas.

Department store chain Debenhams yesterday released sales figures for the year to 30 August, 2008, showing its online sales are up by more than 60 per cent to £42m.

The share of Debenhams total sales made over the web increased from 1.1% in the previous year to 1.8% over the period, and online visitors grew by 52% to more than 43 million.

So even though the growth rate of online sales is substantially down on the previous year, considering the general economic gloom being reported daily in the media, any growth is impressive.

Our UK Online Local Search Business Directory, which has 1.6 million businesses listed, is taking advantage of the movement of consumers to spending online, and we provide the prospects to the businesses listed with no cost to them.

UK small businesses lead the field in green energy investment

2008-10-19T21:32:00.000-07:00

Vivid Economics and new Energy Finance conducted research for the oil company Shell, and they report that the UK is leading Europe in the race for green energy investment to contain climate change.

The global market for low carbon technology will be worth £2 trillion by 2030, comparable to major commodities such as wheat and steel today.

In 2007 UK firms attracted £1 billion of venture capital and private equity investment for renewable energy projects and technologies, twice that of any other European country and 41 per cent of the EU total.

UK firms in the marine technology field attracted almost £80 million of private equity investment, and in the solar field almost £48 million.

Britain's green technology market has the potential to grow by 30% a year up to 2020.

The UK is second only to the US for investment in green small businesses and 2007 was a record year for investment in sustainable energy, attracting total global investment of £74 billion, up from £50 billion in 2006.

The greening of energy is both very fashionable and profitable and UK small businesses are taking advantage of the opportunities that are available.

We are assisting them with our UK Business Local Search Directory, which has 1.6 million businesses listed, the bulk of which are small businesses, by delivering qualified prospects to them, at no cost.

UK online advertising supports the total advertising market

2008-10-09T21:32:00.000-07:00

The Internet Advertising Bureau reports that in the first six months of 2008, £1.7 billion was spent in the UK on online advertising, an increase of online market share to 19% of the total market.

Total advertising spending would have dropped 4.6% without the online advertising contribution. Online advertising spending was £1,600 million in the six months to 30 June, a 21% increase on the first six months in 2007.

TV, press, outdoor and radio had reductions in advertising spending. The total advertising market was £8,900 million, a reduction of .7% for the six months compared to the same period last year.

Online advertising increased by £348 million compared with the same period in 2007. Online advertising increased its market share by four points to 19%. Total press display advertising had a market share of 19.3% and TV had 21.7%.

Paid search grew by 28% over the previous first half period, an amount of £981 million in the first half of 2008, with its market share up from 57.8% to 58.3%.

Online display advertising increased by 16.3% over the previous year’s first half to £333.8 million. There was a 36% increase in spending on banners, rich media and video.

In display advertising spending Technology had 17.3% market share, Finance 11.9%, Entertainment & Media 10.7% and Recruitment 9.9%.

Internet classifieds grew by 30.2% over the previous first half, an amount of £361 million as recruitment, property, automotive and small ads moved to online from print classifieds, which declined 10% compared to the previous first half.

31.6 million people in the UK are now online. The online usage now reflects the demographic make-up of the UK, with a 52% being male and 48% female.

21% of internet users are 25 to 34 years and the over 50’s make up 30% of total time spend online.

So online advertising is taking market share from traditional media on an ongoing basis.

Our UK Online Business Directory, with 1.6 million businesses listed, is part of this movement, and provides qualified prospects to the businesses, with no cost for them.

UK Businesses are positive regarding growth despite the depressed economic conditions

2008-10-07T22:38:00.000-07:00

The latest annual UK Enterprise Survey Report 2008 from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales says that UK businesses are planning for growth regardless of the economic downturn.

The survey reports that even though 65% of UK businesses say that the credit restrictions have had a negative effect on them, 83% say that business growth is still in their planning, with average annual growth expectations this year of 12.4%, compared with 13.4% last year.

72% of businesses say it is harder to plan, 64% say short term borrowing costs have increased and 53% say long term borrowing costs have also risen.

51% say the economic conditions have weakened competitors and 32% say it has increased their opportunities them to acquire their competitors.

53% think that the regulatory and taxation environment is not business friendly, particularly for small businesses and 38% say that will inhibit their future growth.

Considering the doom and gloom presented daily in the media, the positive attitude is remarkable and demonstrates remarkable resilience and fortitude.

Our UK Online Local Search Business Directory, which has 1.6 million businesses listed, is a major assistance, with qualified prospects being provided for the businesses, with nil cost for them.

The internet has now become the advertising medium of choice in Europe

2008-10-01T22:25:00.001-07:00

The European Interactive Advertising Association (EIAA) reports that the internet has become the advertising medium of choice.

The survey was conducted online with senior marketing executives across Europe, who have responsibility for advertising budgets.

81% of advertisers increased their online ads spend this year and say that in 2009 and 2010 that they will increase it further.

82% of these advertisers have reallocated their budgets away from traditional media - 40% away from print, 39% from TV, and 32% away from direct mail.

The EIAA reports that 75% of advertisers think that online advertising has a positive impact on their brand, and 68% think it increases their brand awareness.

40% of advertisers think the internet is very important in influencing purchase decisions, an increase from 30% in 2006; in generating sales, now 46% compared to 31% and in increasing customer loyalty 23%.

38% of advertisers now think online is essential, up from 17% in 2006.

The widespread use of 3G mobile phones will further accelerate this trend, with consumers now being able to locate businesses and directions to them instantly, while on the move.

As being found with an online search becomes critical for UK businesses, our UK Local Search Business Directory, with 1.6 million businesses listed is very important, with the qualified prospects being delivered to the businesses, with no cost involved.

Online advertising in the UK continues to grow, despite the economic downturn

2008-09-25T20:39:00.000-07:00

PricewaterhouseCoopers reports that UK online advertising will grow by 20% in 2008, continuing the movement away from TV and print. This is a reduction from 38% in 2007, due to the economic slowdown.

The search section of UK online advertising will however increase by 30% in 2008.

Online classifieds spend for property and recruitment is not strong, however it will be boosted by growth in the automotive and dating sectors, which should grow about 20% in 2008.

Display advertising spend is also expected to be lower in 2008, although it will still be up by between 10% and 15% year on 2007.

The movement from TV and print continues with more people being time poor, being informed and entertained by online sources and using the traditional media forms progressively less often.

Online games and You Tube for entertainment, Google Alert and similar services for selected news – these new alternatives mean old media is less used and less relevant to consumers.

As the online advertising spend increase reflects additional online usage, our UK Online Business Directory with 1.6 million businesses listed and 2.5 million pages indexed on Google, is enjoying increasing popularity, with qualified prospects being delivered to the businesses, with zero cost to them.

UK small businesses are having profitability reduced by inflation

2008-09-24T20:24:00.000-07:00

Creditsafe reports that 10% of UK small businesses have had their expenses go up by more than 25% in the past year, and companies with up to twenty-five staff are the worst affected.

76% of new businesses, which were established between 1995 and 1999, have had this level of cost increase in the last twelve months.

Creditsafe reports that this business expense escalation has been mainly caused by fuel and borrowing cost increases. The cost rises have produced a strain on profitability and have deferred expansion plans for many UK small businesses.

The consumer price index inflation rose to 4.7% in August, up from 4.4% in July, which is more than double the government's 2% target.

So UK small businesses have to face substantial increases in the cost of doing business, as well as credit availability restrictions due to the depressed economic circumstances - plus slow paying clients, particularly regarding payments from large companies and government departments.

We are able to contribute to their success with our UK Online Local Search Business Directory, which has 1.6 million businesses listed, most of which are small businesses, since qualified prospects are delivered to them, with no cost for the business.

UK small businesses are having profitability reduced by inflation

2008-09-23T13:17:00.000-07:00

UK online advertising continues to take marketing funds from traditional media

2008-09-17T18:24:00.001-07:00

The European Interactive Advertising Association (EIAA) reports that spending on internet marketing will rise by 16 per cent in the next year, while traditional media expenditure will fall.

40% of the advertisers surveyed said they believed the internet to be vital to their marketing and 77% said that their brand recognition had improved due to online advertising exposure.

The bulk of online spending was on display ads, while search has had an increase of 35% in the last two years.

EIAA reports that 81% of advertisers have increased their online ad spend over this year, and 82% of those say that they are moving spend from traditional media. 40% of the increased spend was moved from print and 39% from TV.

Jefferies & Company have forecast that spending on search will rise by 26% by the end of 2008.

So the movement of advertising investment from old media to online continues at an increasing rate.

Our UK Online Business Directory, with 1.6 million businesses listed, produces a substantial volume of new prospects for those businesses, with no cost for the business.

Major UK brands are slow to use online advertising

2008-09-14T21:18:00.000-07:00

Redshift Research reports that major UK brands are not proving to be effective with their online advertising.

66% of corporations say they know that consumers are not as persuaded as they once were by traditional advertising and 76% of them believe that online advertising is more effective than TV and print.

83% of media companies believe that email and SMS are more effective than traditional advertising and 87% of them say online advertising is superior. 77% of corporations agree.

Regarding their reluctance to embrace more online advertising, 40% say that budget constraints are an issue and 28% say lack of experience is the barrier.

While 60% of companies think that a single data base would assist them with sales and service, only 35% have this facility.

50% of daily media consumption is now digital.

41% of consumers chose the Internet as the medium they could not live without.

Only 62% of TV is now watched in real-time.

75% of the UK population rarely watch TV adverts.

The lesson is very clear. Those businesses who adapt to the new online marketplace will succeed at the expense of those who don’t.

Our UK Local Search Business Directory is at the cutting edge of online trading and helps connect qualified prospects to businesses, with no cost involved for the business.

UK small business confidence is increasing

2008-08-31T14:54:00.000-07:00

Discover Financial Services reports that UK small business owners’ economic confidence rose in August, improving from a 22 month low in June.

The Discover® Small Business WatchSM reached 86.9 in August, up 2.3 points from July and more than 15 points higher than June.

The number of small business proprietors who think the economy is getting worse dropped to 60 percent from 71 percent in July.

23% of small business owners feel the USA economy is getting better, which is the highest rating since August 2007.

51% rate the economy as poor, a decrease from 54% in July; while 15% ranked it as good, up from 11% in July.

However, 42% say they have experienced cash flow issues over the last 90 days, a significant increase from 33% in July 2008.

30% of owners say economic conditions for their business are getting better, up slightly from 28% in July, while 44% say conditions are getting worse, up just a point from 43% in July.

So the darkest part of the economic gloom may have passed. Small businesses are a very good indicator of changes in the state of UK business, since they experience variations quickly and clearly.

Our UK Business Directory, with 1.6 million businesses listed, most of which are small businesses, connects prospects to those businesses with no cost for the business.

UK small businesses need to improve their cash flow management skills

2008-08-28T20:13:00.000-07:00

HSBC Commercial Bank reports that 18% of small businesses said that suppliers are billing quicker and an additional 20% said that fewer companies are paying within agreed payment terms.

The survey of 596 small and medium-sized companies, found that they rely on their savings and overdraft to fund both cash flow and purchases.

40% use savings and 24% rely on overdrafts to manage their everyday finances.

18% use their overdraft to fund big purchases, such as business vehicles and equipment.

11% use their credit card for business investment.

10% are using invoice finance to actively manage their cash flow.

9% use leasing finance to help capitalise on their assets.

At the same time, the Federation of Small Businesses reports that large companies are delaying invoice payments to smaller firms.

So cash flow is tight for small businesses at this time. We are assisting by providing the 1.6 million businesses listed in our UK Business Directory, with prospects, with no cost for the business.

UK small business confidence is increasing

2008-08-27T22:29:00.000-07:00

Online retail sales in the UK increased by 11.3% in July

2008-08-21T21:16:00.000-07:00

Online clothing and electrical sales increased to make July online retail sales figures 11.3% higher than June.

The IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index reports that UK consumers spent £4.8 billion online in July, which is an amount of 79 pounds for every person in the UK.

However the British Retail Consortium, reports that July physical store sales were .9% less than June.

Clothing sales online increased by 23% during July and sales of electrical items online during July were up 7.5% on June.

Capgemini has forecast that between 30 percent and 50 percent of all UK retail sales will be online in the next five years.

So even in the current depressed economic circumstances online sales continue to grow.

This is good news for the 1.6 million businesses listed in our UK Business Directory, particularly since the qualified prospects are provided at no cost to the businesses.

Small UK business employees are more likely to help reduce carbon emissions than employees at larger firms

2008-08-20T21:37:00.000-07:00

E.ON surveyed 1,200 UK workers and found that in small firms employees are significantly more likely to help curb energy use and carbon emissions by turning off lights and computers and recycling, than employees at larger companies, who say bureaucracy hampers their efforts.

More than a third of the workers from small firms said they had significantly changed their behaviour to cut carbon emissions, and 90 percent claimed they changed their behaviour at least a little.

Less than a fifth of the employees at larger firms said they had changed their behaviour significantly. And more than two-thirds of the respondents from larger firms said they do not feel they are in control of efforts to reduce energy use, that they have no influence over the facilities department at their firms.

So employees of smaller businesses have greater sway over energy consumption and carbon emissions because of the longer chain of command in larger firms.

The vast majority of the 1.6 million businesses listed in our UK Business Directory are small businesses, and we support them by sending them qualified prospects from the 2.24 million directory pages currently indexed on Google, at no cost to the business.

UK small businesses are not claiming the available rate relief

2008-08-19T19:08:00.000-07:00

The Local Government Association said that about 392,000 businesses were getting the rate relief that was available, out of 870,000 that could apply.

Communities and Local Government, the department responsible for the rate relief scheme, said that the proportion of businesses that get rate relief varies across the country. Not all small properties are occupied by small businesses, and a business may not qualify for relief if it occupies more than one property.

The Forum of Private Business, which represents about 25,000 UK companies said that £200m in small business rate relief goes unclaimed each year, just in England.

The rate relief, which is also available in Scotland and Wales, enables businesses with rateable values of up to £5,000 to reduce their bill by half. This relief decreases on a sliding scale by 1 per cent for every £100 of rateable value over £5,000, up to £10,000.

During the current difficult trading conditions for small businesses, the rate relief assists. Our UK Local Search Business Directory with over 1.6 million business listed, most of which are small businesses, also assists, since the qualified prospects we provide are 100% free of cost.

UK consumers are spending more time and money online

2008-08-18T21:32:00.000-07:00

IOfcom reports that in 2007, UK consumers spent four times as much time on their computer, an average of 24 minutes a day, and twice as much time on their mobile phone, as they did in 2002.

Online advertising spending exceeded advertising on mainstream TV in the UK in 2007, increasing by 40 percent to $5.3 billion, 19 percent of all advertising.

Online paid search accounted for $2.9 billion, with the balance divided between display and classified ads.

TV advertising was flat at $6.5 billion, with mainstream channels accounting for $4.4 billion.

In online households, 32 percent watched video clips from sites such as YouTube, which was up from 21 percent in 2006.

Broadband connection reached 58 percent of UK households, up from 52 percent the previous year.

So the movement from old to new media continues at a fast pace.

Our UK Business Directory, which has over 1.6 million businesses listed, continues to be popular in helping consumers find the business they’re seeking, with no cost at all for the businesses listed.

Online sales in the UK will exceed physical store sales by 2026

2008-08-17T22:43:00.000-07:00

USwitch reports that while physical retail stores have experienced reduced sales because of the depressed economic conditions, internet sales results continue to increase and will be more than 50% of all retails sales by 2026.

Physical retail stores had a 3.9% reduction in sales in June, which is the greatest monthly reduction since 1986.

USwitch says online sales will increase to £163 billion a year by 2020 - a 44% share of the total retail market.

The reduction in the cost of broadband access, the increase in internet speed, and high petrol prices, mean that UK consumers now spend 1.6 hours a week shopping online.

15 million UK households now have broadband connections, and UK online sales in 2007 were 40% higher than Germany, France, Italy and Spain.

This trend means that our UK Business Directory for Local Search is proving very popular. It has over 2.2 million pages indexed on Google and there is no cost for the 1.6 million businesses involved to be listed.

UK small businesses are being restricted in getting awarded contracts for the 2012 London Olympics

2008-08-13T20:34:00.000-07:00

The Forum of Private Business reports that the UK Government’s target of awarding 30% of all public contracts to small businesses is under threat because of recent Government proposals.

Government plans require businesses to enforce gender and racial equality standards, and to offer trade union membership to their employees, for companies to be eligible for contracts, and this disadvantages small businesses dramatically.

In the 2008 Budget, the UK Government said it wanted small businesses to get 30 per cent of public contracts, but then announced companies had to promote trade union membership to be awarded contracts.

This inherent contradiction creates a substantial barrier for small UK businesses to share in the large amount of revenue that the 2012 London Olympics public contracts will provide.

Small businesses are under stress due to the current economic slowdown and this is another example of the difficulty of competing with larger companies.

Our UK Business Directory, which contains of 1.6 million businesses, most of which are small businesses, is assisting, by providing qualified prospects to them with no cost for the businesses that are listed.

Small UK businesses are at a disadvantage

2008-08-11T23:13:00.001-07:00

New research from BT Business and Cisco shows that half of private sector businesses think that small companies are less competitive than larger businesses, and in addition, the larger companies are now more demanding of their suppliers.

While 87% of private businesses said that they had better personal relationships with small companies, 52% said the small businesses were not as price competitive as large companies.

40% said they were less likely to choose a small business in difficult economic times.

Of the £28 million each year paid to suppliers, 23%, £6.6 million, is spent with small businesses, however the period for payment terms have been increased by half of the firms placing these orders.

Given these facts, UK small businesses must play to their strengths and bond with their clients by providing excellent service and also they must acquire new clients economically.

Getting found is an essential aspect of success for small businesses that invariably have a limited advertising budget. Our UK Local Search Business Directory assists over 1.6 million businesses, the majority of which are small, since the service is 100% free for their listing.

Online security flaws in UK Small Businesses

2008-08-10T21:14:00.000-07:00

Symantec Corp reports basic online security flaws in

and European small businesses, in spite of the fact that the companies appear to be aware of the problems.

25% of UK small businesses have had a recent online security breach which resulted in a loss of business and 13% incurred a financial loss. In Europe the figures were 17% and 8%.

UK small businesses have 47% of total UK employees and 37% of total UK turnover, so this is an issue of importance.

43% of those surveyed thought that online security was the sole responsibility of the IT Manager and 34% thought the Managing Director solely responsible.

Only 41% of UK small businesses use an outsourced IT specialist company to provide online security.

31% of those surveyed said mistakes by employees caused the system to crash or information to be lost and 13% said this had a negative financial effect.

42 percent update their business IT security daily, 15 % weekly, 6% monthly, and 3% yearly.

Online security is a now major concern for UK small businesses and spam email is probably the most annoying aspect of this and a regular entry point of viruses infected emails.

Our UK Search Business Directory, which has 1.6 million free business listings, has a spam proof email listing for businesses, so that their email addresses can’t be scraped and then spammed.

The £300m a year saving that is possible for UK small businesses with improved Government support on health and safety

2008-08-07T21:37:00.000-07:00

Better Regulation Executive reports that UK small businesses could save £300m a year with better Government support on health and safety.

The average UK business spends 20 hours a year, £350, on administration, meeting health and safety requirements. Reducing the time spent by five hours for each company would save low risk businesses £150 million a year.

The UK has one of the best workplace safety records in the world, with fatalities and injuries falling by more than 70 per cent over the last three decades.

Cutting the amount of paperwork for low risk businesses, and making complex regulations easier to understand, help create safer environments for workers and the public.

1500 health and safety consultancy firms in the UK, provide important services and support, increasingly to small businesses, however, low risk businesses could save up to £140 million a year if 20 per cent turned to government sources for support on health and safety.

Reducing costs for UK small businesses is important in the current tight economic climate and our UK Business Directory assists by providing 100% free listing for over 1.6 million businesses, most of which are small businesses.

The UK authorities give approval for Google Street View

2008-08-05T23:15:00.000-07:00

The British Information Commissioner's Office has approved the use of Google's Street View software in the UK.

The tool is an add-on to Google Maps and Google Earth that offers photographs of streets and cities.

Google has overcome privacy concerns by blurring the faces of people and licence plates in the photos and the use of image removal tools.

Google was unable to advise when Street View would be available.

Our Local Search Business Directory now provides Google maps and will also provide Google Street View as soon as it is available, for the 1.6 million businesses listed, and there will still be no cost for the businesses to be listed.

Tax Credits for UK small businesses will increase from 1 August 2008

2008-08-03T03:16:00.000-07:00

The UK Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury announced that tax credits for small businesses who invest in research and development will increase by £80 million a year from 1 August 2008.

This will increase the tax relief in this field for small businesses to £300 million a year.

The tax credit rate available for small businesses spending on research and development will increase to 175% of their investment.

The definition of a small business for this tax credit is up to 500 employees, an increase from 250 employees, with a doubling from the previous level of their revenue and balance sheet valuation.

The tax credits were started in 2000 for small businesses and extended to include large companies in 2002.

The UK government’s goal is to have research and development investment at 2 ½% of Gross Domestic Product in 2014.

This is an additional benefit for UK small businesses who are finding trading conditions difficult in the current depressed economic environment.

We are also assisting by providing our UK Directory for Local Search, which has over 1.6 million UK business listings, mostly small businesses, and over 2.5 million pages indexed on Google UK, with no cost for the businesses.

UK small business owners are less confident about economic and business trading conditions

2008-07-30T23:21:00.000-07:00

Opinion Research Business found that 56 percent of small business proprietors, that is, businesses with revenue of less than £1million, anticipate little or negative growth during 2008.

This is the fifth time in a row that the quarterly, small business confidence index has fallen.

87 percent of small-business owners expect business and economic conditions not to improve during the next year.

74 percent think it will be more difficult to succeed and only 15 percent think that this is a good time to be the proprietor of a UK small business.

These are trying times for UK small businesses, which have less financial reserves that their larger competitors.

Our UK Business Directory is helpful in these stressful times for small businesses, since we produce qualified prospects for over 1.6 million UK businesses, most of which are small, at no cost to those businesses.

The future of family businesses in the UK

2008-07-30T14:08:00.000-07:00

A recent survey by Credit Suisse found that family businesses make up only 8 per cent of UK businesses. In Germany, the number is 36 percent and in France 30 percent.

66 percent of these family businesses are owed by ethnic minorities.

In the UK, only 58 percent of family businesses have a fixed succession plan for when the principal retires, and of those, only 27 percent say they will keep the business in the family.

The UK is seen to be less encouraging to family businesses than the rest of Europe, and British family businesses are more highly leveraged and have a shorter term outlook than their European counterparts.

UK family businesses are mostly small businesses that have difficulty competing with larger firms with technology, especially in getting found on the internet.

Our Local Search Directory for UK Small Business is helpful in this regard since we have over 2 million pages indexed on Google UK, and the directory observes the web 2.0 model in being 100% free for these small family businesses.

The long term expectations of UK small business owners and the successful retention of their employees

2008-07-28T23:11:00.000-07:00

A survey in June by Ciao Surveys reported that twenty-eight percent of UK small business owners expect to run their business for more than 25 years and 20% expect to work to beyond age seventy.

UK Small businesses are successful at bonding employees and retaining them. 30% of the small business owners surveyed have an employee who has worked for them for more than ten years.

40% said that they had a very close, personal connection to their business and that their business failing would be similar to ending an intimate relationship.

Their outlook is positive. 75% responded that they intended to expand their businesses this year, despite the general concerns of an economic slowdown.

These are encouraging results given that small business in the UK is the driving force for employment and financial growth.

Our UK Local Search Business Directory helps by supplying over 1.6 million UK businesses, most of which are small businesses, with qualified prospects for their goods and services, at no cost to them.

Red Tape reduction for UK small businesses

2008-07-27T18:50:00.000-07:00

The UK has relatively low regulatory burdens compared to the rest of the world, however the cost for UK businesses is still £14 billion yearly, and this is most acutely felt by small businesses.

The UK government established the Better Regulation Executive (BRE) two years ago, to lessen this burden and this agency is having a positive effect on the regulatory environment.

19 government departments who are involved made an estimated £800 million per year savings, in the last 18 months.

The feedback from small business owners has been very positive and more savings will be forthcoming.

Our UK Local Business Directory has over 1.6 million businesses listed, the vast majority of which are small businesses, so this government initiative is greatly appreciated.

Also those businesses being able to be found by qualified prospects with no cost involved is also very helpful.

UK marketers now favour online marketing over traditional methods.

2008-07-23T21:26:00.000-07:00

Rupiz Media reports that UK businesses have reduced the use of marketing methods such as postal, telephone and radio and increased their use of web marketing.

More than 70% of UK companies now use Search Engine Optimisation, Pay Per Click adverts and e-mail marketing to get new prospect contacts.

The research shows that over 90% of marketers see the internet as a growth area, which is an increase from 82% last year.

The research also said that 75% of marketers now see Online Prospect Generation as a distinct area of online marketing.

This is the experience of our clients who are listed in our UK Business Directory. The general comment from clients is that if you can’t be found on the first page of a Google search, then your business is virtually invisible.

As the older mediums for acquiring new business prospects reduce in importance, our free directory, which has over 2.5 million pages indexed in Google UK, is increasingly important in getting small and medium sized business found.

The UK Real Estate’s falling market means Google’s UK revenue has fallen for the first time, in the second quarter of 2008

2008-07-20T22:44:00.000-07:00

Google’s UK revenue was down to £392.4 million in the second quarter compared to £405.9 million in the first quarter.

A reduction in spending by property advertisers was responsible.

Traditional media is also experiencing reductions, with Trinity Mirror’s advertising at its newspapers down by 12.6 per cent in May and June.

Hitwise reported that Google’s share of the UK internet search market was 87 per cent in May, Yahoo! had 4 per cent, slightly more than MSN search.

The UK represents Google's second largest source of revenues worldwide, one seventh of its total revenue.

Google's organic search results provide the bulk of consumer inquiries to our UK Local Search Business Directory and of course businesses can list their details 100% free of cost.

Online Local Search is replacing paper directories in the UK.

2008-07-16T21:06:00.000-07:00

BT is enhancing its online directories business with a £20m purchase of Ufindus http://www.ufindus.com/ , which had revenue of £14m last year, and which has more than 20,000 small business clients.

The traditional paper directory business results have suffered because of the growth of the internet, as consumers have increasingly turned to Google.

Yell, which publishes the Yellow Pages in the UK, has seen its stock price drop by more than 50 per cent in the past 12 months, but its internet businesses have grown by 45 per cent in the UK in the past year, and 68 per cent in the US.

BT sold Yell, for more than £2bn in 2001, for debt reduction reasons, but with the focus on online searches, the company is looking for growth in the local search market.

The web 2.0 model of free business listings as employed by www.uk-local-search.co.uk is where internet analysts believe the really substantial future growth will occur.

Monte Huebsch CEO Google AdWords Reseller

Local Search is going mobile with Google

2008-07-09T17:54:00.000-07:00

Google launched a new search service in the UK for mobile phones, which provides faster, more relevant results, by gathering regular and mobile web results, news, images and local listings, which means people no longer have to specify a type of search.

This provides an improved local search experience because mobile search is more often used to find local area information such as movie programme details.

The new mobile search will also recall the user's recent search locations, so that further searches will be focused on that area.

Currently our UK Local Search and UK Business Directory is not mobile enabled. We use Google Maps and are looking at way to make a mobile experience possible. The advent of the iPhone with the Safari browser and G3 connection speeds may make this more available in the near future.

Monte Huebsch CEO and aka "Google Guru"

If the law firms are getting in, it's time to join in!

2008-06-23T22:27:00.000-07:00

In the UK, the legal sector is stepping up its online operations.

In a recent survey, 42% percent of respondents said that they expect to increase their spending on online projects and 26 percent agree that Web 2.0 will be a key component of their online strategy.

On this evidence, there is no doubt that the social media phenomenon of Web 2.0 has a permanent role to play in disciplines such as law.

Both large and small legal firms increasing their efforts in making their content more appealing through new technology such as RSS feeds, podcasts and video clips.

Part of the social media landscape is Local Search. More people are sourcing goods and services closer to home, due to the rise in petrol prices and the "think globally - act locally" mind set.

Embracing this emerging Web 2.0 mind set is UK Local Search and Business Directory.

Best

Monte Huebsch CEO

Search and Copyrights

2008-06-15T17:44:00.000-07:00

Google announced that from May, 2008 any advertiser will be able to bid on 'trademarked single words' for search terms in the UK and Ireland.

Previously, companies could ask Google to protect their single word trademarks from rival bids. The US lifted this trademark policy four years ago.

Over 90 per cent of the UK's top 100 searches contained trademarks, while in the US, 40 per cent of the US's top 100 trademark queries contained competitor listings in the results.

This suggests that competitors actually find it difficult to appear against competitor terms, due to the Quality Score Index where trademark owners have the clear advantage.

Your trademark names can be indexed in Googles organic listing when you participate in our Local Search and Business Directory in the UK. Update your listing in www.UK-Local-Search.co.uk

Best

Monte Huebsch, CEO and the "Google Guru"

1/3rd of all traffic in the UK comes from Google

2008-06-09T16:29:00.000-07:00

Hitwise data for March 2008 revealed that Google Internet properties send over one-third of all Internet traffic to websites in the UK.

A custom category consisting of the 100 most visited web properties in the UK that are owned by Google accounted for 36.55% of upstream traffic to All Categories of websites, up from 30.19% in March 2007.

The most visited Google property in the UK was Google UK; with a market share of 7.77% of all UK Internet visits in March 2008, it was also the most visited website in the UK.

Google UK was also the website that sent the most traffic to other websites during March, accounting for 27.48% of upstream traffic to All Categories.

What this means is your eally need to be found in Google. One way to assist with this is to have a free listing in our UK Local Search and Business Directory. This also gives you a Page Rank 4 backward link!

Enjoy

Best

Monte Huebsch CEO

Another WIKI based Business Directory

2008-06-06T02:30:00.000-07:00

Friday Holdings Ltd, one of the UK’s leading online and offline publishers of classified and vertical lifestyle businesses, announced a major investment in the free online local business directory www.Brownbook.net .

Brownbook.net, was launched in February 2008 and has over 2.2 million businesses already listed, with hundreds being added every week by its users. Users can both add listings themselves and also add photo and video reviews about businesses listed as well.

Free, user generated and self edited business Local Search Directories are typical of the direction of Internet 2.0.

Our efforts at http://www.Uk-Local-Search.co.uk like Brown Book is also a Wiki driven site, but we actually verify the accuracy of additions and amendments. Why not be in both?

Monte Huebsch CEO

All the best from the UK Local Search and Business Directory team.

UK Local Search adds 83,000 verified email address

2007-12-17T01:53:00.000-08:00

We have recently add over 83,000 new email addresses to the UK Local Search engine. For this Local UK business directory, over 63,000 are unique! This means a better UK local search business directory and an easier way to contact a business near you. Spread the work, you participation is completely free and increases the value of this UK Local business directory for all of us. Thank you the UK Local Search development team.

What is in your UK local area?

2007-12-03T01:01:00.000-08:00

New to your neighborhood? Haven’t had a chance to get out recently? It is often useful to familiarise yourself with what businesses are available in your local neighborhood. With the high cost of petrol and the increasing traffic jams, knowing what can be provided locally really helps. This will save you time and money!

We have recently added this feature to UK Local Search. Just go to the UK local search directory page. Select view all locations and select your region and then suburb. The system will then return a complete list of all businesses in your local area. Each category shown will have a listing. No empty categories will be presented.

You now know what is available in your local area. This is very useful and we would like to thank all the users of UK Local Search who suggested this addition.
All the best from the UK Local Search development team.

Local Search growing according to Google

2007-11-28T17:40:00.000-08:00

We have just completed another day of full time training with the Google AdWords team from Sydney Australia. It was a great session again. We discussed the growth in local search from Google Maps perspective. More and more people are starting to use this resource and the presence of AdWords on map searches is growing. We will discus the Mobi space another time.

What this means for UK Local Search and our UK Business Directory is that the value of local search for business listings is growing. Local business search is growing faster then universal search. People are beginning to see the value of using search to find local businesses. Your participation in local search business directories is becoming a priority for local businesses. Your UK local shop front needs to be included in local search directories and it must show you on a map. Our UK Local Search Directory uses Google maps to provide this information.

We Call You Now available in UK!

2007-11-25T16:50:00.000-08:00

If you don't already have "click to all" on your free listing in UK Local Search, you can add it now. Just go to We Call You Now and sign up. This is a great way to increase business relationships, for both technical support and sales.

You also move to the top of the local search for your business category when you have a We Call You Now button. Remember a phone call is worth 15 time an email.

UK Local Search - now Open

2007-11-22T17:20:00.000-08:00

November 2007,

We are happy to announce that we have launched our UK Local Search website. This web site contains over 1.6 million UK business listings. The local search business directory is a great way to find business and contains a large amount of "no cost" web 2.0 features like maps, payment types accepted and hours of operations.

We look forward to your suggestions for additions and improvements.

Enjoy

Monte Huebsch CEO