UENI Launches Campaign to Save Small Businesses From Being 'Invisible' Online

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Nov 13, 2018, 05:32 ET

LONDON, November 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

- UENI, a champion of small businesses, rolls out a campaign to build websites for free for small and micro businesses across the UK

- Bold offer allows independent service providers to compete with big chains and get discovered online

- After huge success in Manchester, UENI rolls out the initiative nationwide to support the small business economy

UENI, the digital platform that helps local businesses grow online, is rolling out a free service for small and micro businesses across the UK.

Businesses that lack a strong web presence can apply for one for free, as part of UENI's strategy to empower millions of small businesses.

The UENI service - which includes building a website, listing the business on Google My Business, and helping the business rank well on search engines - will help small businesses compete against local service giants by giving them a step up on the digital ladder.

UENI not only builds a professional website for the business, it also adds high-value functionalities such as online bookings and instant messaging, while managing the hosting, technical maintenance and security required on any modern website.

UENI is offering this service for free to service-based businesses across the UK. The Hammersmith-based company, which launched in 2014, stands out for offering businesses a fully-built solution, whereas competing low-cost solutions leave it to the business to build the website themselves. Beyond the free service, businesses can enhance their online visibility with UENI by getting listed on high-traffic, trusted platforms and online maps. UENI thus becomes the single place where businesses maintain their information, so that UENI ensures they are professionally represented across the web.

In August, UENI successfully launched a pilot of the campaign in Manchester, setting up websites for 1,774 small businesses that previously had no digital presence.

Christine Telyan, founder of UENI explains, "Small businesses tell us that a common frustration is not knowing how to get in front of customers. We also know that the vast majority of sole traders and independent service providers have at least half of their time not booked, indicating the great opportunity for them to grow. Having a professionally designed and fully functioning website and being present on high-traffic online platforms makes a huge difference to trade. It allows a business to be discovered online, to present itself as a credible choice to customers, to compete with other local providers, and with time, it can help make their business more profitable. Without a digital presence, these businesses are invisible to potential customers.

Telyan continues, "We know that small businesses usually do not have the time, funding or technical skills to get online, but they need to be online. By offering this vital service for free, businesses can take this important first step and consumers can benefit from the diversity and choice that small and independent businesses offer."

A recent survey by UENI found that the single biggest reason small and independent business owners avoid setting up a website is that they have not had the time. 27% also reported that they wouldn't know where to start when building a website.*

Data shows that the smallest firms are least well represented online.** UENI's focus is to engage with small, independent business owners in the services sector, who are particularly dependent on local footfall.

To apply for a free website and learn more about UENI's digital solutions, business owners should go to ueni.com and register their details.

About UENI

UENI is a London-based company with headquarters in 2-14 Shortlands, W6 8DJ Hammersmith. It was founded with the goal of creating low cost, easy solutions for small businesses to get online and get new customers through digital discovery without having to worry about the cost, skills and time usually associated with that.

Through the extensive use of technology and advanced algorithms, UENI allows self-starters, sole traders and small business owners to make their services discoverable to local customers. With a range of packages carefully crafted with local businesses in mind, UENI makes it easy and effortless to put your business where your customers are: online.

For press enquiries, please contact [email protected] or call +44-207-602-2737.

* According to a poll of 60 micro businesses by UENI, July 2018

** According to research by SQQ

SOURCE UENI