The Growth of Online SMEs in India
More and more companies are discovering the benefits of internet marketing, and how important it is to have an online platform for their business. None more so than in India, it seems. Google India conducted a recent survey, and found that 57 per cent of SMEs in India use the internet as a method of generating direct business leads and sales.
"While the absolute number of SMEs with an online presence is very low compared to the actual (number of) businesses in India, we are pleasantly surprised to see increasing understanding amongst Indian SMEs to use the web for business growth," says Sridhar Seshadri, head of online sales at Google India.
He also adds: "In the last two years, we have seen a significant increase in the number of businesses that have started to advertise online. But with over 35 million SMEs in the country, we have a long way to go."
So whether it’s PPC, SEO or other forms of online marketing, Indian SMEs are fast discovering the benefits of using the internet to expand their operations and grow as a company. Another interesting statistic is that 79 per cent of Indian SMEs believe that the internet can provide a greater reach when attracting new customers than print and television advertising.
So whether it’s investing in pay per click management or complementing their visibility through other search marketing practices, India’s SMEs are taking on the big boys in the region. Especially those in the travel and tourism, insurance and IT hardware industries, where the survey shows that they spend between 30 – 45 per cent on advertising online.
