Google, SKMM, .My Domain Registry and ITrain to Help 50,000 Malaysian Businesses Get Online

For any Malaysian business today, having a website is as important as having a phone. Yet, four-fifths of Malaysian small businesses still don’t have a website -- which means they are invisible to two-thirds of the Malaysian population as well as the rest of the global market who are online.

17.5mil Malaysians regularly turn to the Internet to research local shops and services. They look for what to eat online, they go online to find information about movies, they search for a plumber, and they do research for their next gadget purchase online.

SME Corp figures show that out of the 700,000 Malaysian SMEs that are currently operating in Malaysia, only 100,000 have a website.

These businesses are not online because it’s either too expensive, too complicated, or they just don’t have the time.

What is GMBO?

It stands for ‘Get Malaysian Business Online’, a nation-wide initiative to help SMEs to get the businesses online, initiated by Google Malaysia and supported by Suruhanjaya Komunikasi dan Multimedia Malaysia (SKMM) .my Domain Registry and ITrain.

How does GMBO work?

GMBO offers participants a free website, free domain hosting (for the first 10,000 signups) and subsidised training, making it quick and easy to go online. People without a website can ‘walk in’ and register online and get an online presence in as little as 30 minutes.

How will GMBO help businesses grow?

All participating businesses will receive a free website which we believe is the first step in being found by customers. Today, more and more customers are going online for everything - banking, shopping, information etc. Research has found that Malaysians spent RM1.8 billion shopping online in 2010 (Nielsen 2011) and that figure is expected to grow to RM5 billion by 2014. Once a business is online, they are connected to the world. We want to help them to be successful by ensuring each business is aware of the free online tools available to them so that they can start realizing the true potential of the Internet.

Why launch GMBO in Malaysia?


Only 100,000 out of the 700,000 Malaysian SMEs have a website, yet research shows that many Malaysians go to the Internet to find products, services and local business information before they decide on their purchases. We see this as a great opportunity to directly assist small and medium sized businesses to go online and grow.

Why should Malaysian businesses go online?

GMBO takes away the barriers that stop most Malaysian businesses from going online - it’s free, it’s quick and easy and it offers a sustainable support network to help businesses go online and grow. So why go online? Because everyone benefits - individuals, families, businesses of all sizes, consumers, our economy, society and ultimately, Malaysia.

Why is a website necessary?

Malaysia currently has 17.5 million Internet uses and expected to reach 25 million by 2015 covering more that 75% of the population. Consumers understand the value of the Internet this is because most consumer in Malaysia use the Internet before purchasing a product, but businesses are still not seizing the opportunity. There’s an assumption that ‘Internet businesses’ are like Google or Facebook, but actually every business is an Internet business -- even if you sell nasi lemak.

What kind of support can participating businesses expect to receive?

Participating SMEs will be equipped with:
  • A free, easy to update website with free web-hosting
  • A free or discounted .com.my domain for their first year upon sign-up. The first 10,000 SMEs will get the domain free. Consecutive annual renewals are at a heavily discounted RM23 annual fee.
  • Free Ongoing business tips and education
  • Free online advertising and listing on Google Maps.
  • An RM200 AdWords coupon for all 50,000 sign ups that create their web presence.
What happens if a business already has a website? Can they take part?

Absolutely. Even if you have a website but it’s not really working out for you, we’d like to help. GMBO training welcomes people who want advice on their existing site(s) and will provide hands on consultation to help businesses understand how to optimize their sites and take advantage of a variety of existing online tools

What if I want a more sophisticated website than this basic site? Can I upgrade? 

The GMBO website is designed to make it easy for small businesses to get online so they can be found by prospective customers and participate in the digital economy. At some point, participating businesses may want to build a more sophisticated website and will be able to copy their images, files and data from this website so that their web designer can re-use them.

What data am I required to submit?

You are required to submit your email address and work phone number to set up a website. You can then choose to submit more information about your business to include on your website. No billing information is required. After 1 year, you can choose to maintain your website for RM23/year.

What are the exact features of the GMBO product (the website)?

Our website creation tool called Business SiteBuilder lets you set up and maintain a website easily and in 30 minutes, so that your business information can be found online. The website lets you display photos, shares files and display your business location on a Google Map. It’s free to set up your website and hosting is free for the first 10,000 SMEs. After 12 months, if you choose to maintain your domain name there is an annual renewal fee of RM23.

What is Business Sitebuilder?

Business Sitebuilder is a Google platform which is a tool for website building. Available for the first time in the region, it is absolutely free-of-charge. Business Sitebuilder allows you to create your desktop browser and mobile-optimised web site, list your products and services, accept orders and be sent notifications of queries and orders, and maintain the store items and inventory. Feature includes:
  • Accept SMS and email orders
  • Easy install, easy maintain
  • Store on the Cloud with web hosting from Google
  • Sort items by NAME, PRICE by clicking at header
  • Click at thumbnail to see more detail picture
  • Store Gadget size can be adjusted and scrollable to fit your web design

Comments

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