A suite of new services from Google which provide a domain name and basic website template for small businesses could take business away from smaller developers, industry veterans have said.
But Google has maintained it has no plans to introduce the services into Australia yet, with the pilot program being run in Britain.
Spokesperson Annie Baxter says the services are part of a specific marketing campaign, and that “we have no plans to do anything similar in Australia right now”.
The services being offered by Google to any British business include a free domain name and a basic site template, with instructions given on how to create simple business listings and contact information.
But some within the industry have said this could jeopardise the business of entry-level developers. Dominic Gamble, chief executive of WebDynamic, says although a business of WebDynamic’s size wouldn’t be affected, there would still be some work lost in the lower end of the market.
“I know we wouldn’t be threatened because the space they would be targeting is the cheap and simple solution, and we don’t operate there, but I’m sure there are people doing very simple and cheap websites for about $500 or something, and if you are in that position there is a potential for losing a little bit of business.”
But Gamble also says templates won’t be able to compare with the skills even a smaller developer can deliver, and SMEs will ultimately pick a skilled firm.
“I mean these free website deals aren’t entirely new, there have been people offering it before, but of course the difference here is that you get a lot more publicity for it.”
“But I don’t think it’ll kill small developers, who I imagine is the market Google would be going up against. At some point you are going to need some sort of artwork done, or something like that.”
David McLaughlin, account manager at development studio Revium, isn’t convinced Google’s entry into the market will disrupt things too much.
“These simple solutions are usually aimed at the lower end of the market, with entry packages and so on. We can look after entry level customers as well, so it’s not really anything off our back. Businesses understand what goes into building a good quality website.”
“For losing business at the lower end… probably not. We do offer an entry-level package but most businesses who go that route, don’t get any farther than that. Businesses starting on the cheap usually remain that way.”
Patrick Stafford is a freelance journalist and a former deputy editor of SmartCompany.
