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.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
The future of family businesses in the UK
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.
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.
Monday, July 28, 2008
The long term expectations of UK small business owners and the successful retention of their employees
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.
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.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Red Tape reduction for UK small businesses
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.
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.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
UK marketers now favour online marketing over traditional methods.
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.
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.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
The UK Real Estate’s falling market means Google’s UK revenue has fallen for the first time, in the second quarter of 2008
Google’s
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
The
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Online Local Search is replacing paper directories in the UK.
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
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
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Local Search is going mobile with Google
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"
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"
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