GoDaddy is the world’s largest cloud platform dedicated to small independent business. It has launched a website builder that allows those 71% of small-and-micro-businesses to have a basic site up and running in a few minutes.

The website builder is the result of extensive research into small business, many of which employ one person who is managing director, sales/marketing, chief cook and bottle washer. The website builder requires no knowledge of HTML or programming.

It is almost “wizard driven” from a smartphone. Type in your name and details, what you do, and it will bring up suggested templated containing a huge library of royalty-free photo and fonts. After setting up a basic site, it will recommend a domain name as well if one does not own one.

At a demonstration today, Andrew Low Ah Kee, executive vice-president international, asked the audience to nominate a business they would like to run. Childcare was selected and within a few minutes, a credible site was up and running.

One can easily add search engine optimisation, email marketing, e-commerce and other features.

The sites are fully responsive and format for mobile or desktop

Tara Commerford, managing director, Australia and New Zealand, said, “GoDaddy’s new Website Builder marks an exciting new era of smart website creation and management for Australian entrepreneurs and small businesses by giving them real control of their digital identities.

"This new approach is unique as it helps customers reach their audiences and drive strong business results and customer insights, all from the convenience of their mobile phone.”

Present was a “typical” small business owner, Shaan Tahu, chief executive of ICU Signage Solutions. He said, “As a small business owner my time is precious, and while I knew I needed to improve my online footprint, it felt like a daunting task.

"With Website Builder, I could create a great looking website in less than an hour that suited my business perfectly. As many of my customers are also on the go, I like that it’s mobile-friendly and integrated with my social pages so it can be viewed anywhere, anytime. Since launching my new website, I have seen more inquiries through the website and have received some great feedback too.”

Kee concluded, “As a global organisation, GoDaddy is passionate about empowering SMBs to manage their business needs. Small businesses see a website as a crucial tool for driving awareness for a brand, meaning Website Builder’s flexibility and the smart-learning system can help customers reach their audiences further supporting the thriving Australian SMB landscape.”