SMBs and Their Websites in 2020: Where do European SMBs Stand? – Survey
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SMBs and Their Websites in 2020: Where do European SMBs Stand? – Survey


In this Marketing Report:

The importance of digitalisation is constantly coming back to the table. With this in mind, at Sortlist we asked ourselves what is the relationship that SMBs have with their website. We conducted a survey to 500 SMBs in order to better understand how these companies perceive their website and online presence.

22%

Percentage of SMBs that do not have a website in 2020

Content

#1 priority for SMB websites in 2020

Germany

The country where SMBs are most likely to have a website

More and More SMBs Active on the Web

SMB Presence on the Web

Our study found that 48% of SMBs launched a website before 2019 and almost 15% launched a website in 2019.

A website is important for branding purposes.

SMB websites

Which SMBs Are Most Likely to Have a Website?

Size Matters

90% of companies with an annual turnover of between 30 and 50 million euros have a website.

For companies with annual revenues between €0 and €100,000, this figure falls to 45%.

The €100,000 barrier seems to play a role in the adoption of a website.

Turnover for SMBs

Nationality of a Company

Belgian SMBs are the least likely to have an online presence, while German SMBs are far ahead.

Only 22% of German SMBs say they do not have a website. This figure rises to 42% for Belgian SMBs.

SMBs with a website per country

Breakdown per Country

France

In France, 34% of SMBs do not have a website. Among the 66% that do have a website, we noticed two priorities: 

  • 35% want to make their website more adapted to the mobile format.
  • Generate quality content.
French SMB website

Germany

In Germany, 22% of SMBs do not have a website. Of the 78% that do have a website, the same two priorities emerge:

  • 36% want to make their website more suitable for the mobile format.
  • Generate quality content.
German SMB website

The Netherlands

In the Netherlands, 25% of SMBs do not have a website. Those that do signal out the following priorities:

  • 51% of these SMBs want to make their website more adapted to the mobile format, i.e. more than half!
  • Content generation takes second place to the importance of the mobile format.
Dutsch SMB website

Spain

In Spain, the situation is quite similar to that in France. 33% of SMBs do not have a website, and the priorities of the 67% of SMBs with a website are the same:

  • 35% want to make their website more adapted to the mobile format.
  • Generate quality content.
Spanish SMB website

Belgium

42% of Belgian SMBs do not have a website, the highest figure in this study. They seem more concerned than other SMBs about their transition to mobile:

  • 43% of Belgian SMBs want to make their website more mobile-friendly.
  • The safety of navigation is particularly emphasised by Belgian SMBs.
Belgian SMB website

Why Don’t All SMBs Have a Website?

The Main Reason for Not Having a Website

Our study revealed four main reasons why some SMBs do not yet have a website dedicated to their business.

Why don't you have a website?

Lack of Budget

The third reason cited for the lack of a website is the lack of budget.

According to the results of our study, the overwhelming majority of SMBs allocate a budget ranging from 0 to 10,000€ for the design of their website.

Budget spent on a SMB website

Impact of Covid-19

Nearly 60% of the SMBs that had planned to create a website reduced their budget dedicated to their online presence due to the sanitary crisis.

COVD-19 impact

Priorities of SMBs With a Website

Top Five Priorities for SMB Websites

Our study revealed the five priorities that SMBs with a website have in 2020.

One thing that stands out is the low importance given to improving SEO. Indeed, only 17% of SMEs with a website consider improving SEO to be their priority for 2020.

SMB website

A Note on Mobile Performance

38% of SMBs surveyed consider that their site should be more mobile-friendly.

Rightly so: between 2013 and 2019, smartphones increased their market share of global traffic from 16.2% to 53.3%.

Mobile-friendly websites

How Were These SMB Websites Built?

For SMBs that already have a website, 33% of them have decided to collaborate with an agency, whether it be in web design or UX.

SMB website

Digitalisation Creates Opportunity

Indeed, digitalisation has created a lot of new opportunities for SMBs, but it has also brought its share of complexity. One does not come without the other, and it is necessary to understand this complexity in order to fully take advantage of all the possibilities it brings.

Methodology

The study on which this article is based was conducted between May 19th and May 21st, 2020. Specifically, Sortlist interviewed 500 SMBs, divided between France, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, and Spain. These SMBs are companies with less than 250 employees and do not exceed 50 million euros in annual turnover. Finally, the respondents of this study were either managing directors or owners of an SMB.

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About the Sortlist Data Hub

The Sortlist Data Hub is the place to be for journalists and industry leaders who seek data-driven reports from the marketing world, gathered from our surveys, partner collaborations, and internal data of more than 50,000 industries.

It is designed to be a space where the numbers on marketing are turned into easy-to-read reports and studies.

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