Google is giving a boost to small businesses in Central Texas. Google and its coalition of partners are helping hundreds of small businesses begin or grow their existence on the Web.
Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell says only about half of the small business owners in Austin have websites.
Tuesday night until 8, and all day Wednesday at the La Zona Rosa Restaurant, tech experts will help get small businesses online fast, easy, and free. Google says it plans to offer assistance in the months ahead too.
"It's gonna go on for a whole year, basically," said Google's Director of Product Management Amy Chang. "It's Texasgetonline.com. Any small business across the state can use it to get a free, customized website. They can actually get free hosting for a year and a free, customized domain name."
"We're really proud of Google for doing this," Mayor Lee Leffingwell said. "We're proud to have Google in Austin."
Google hopes to get at least 100,000 of the more than two million small businesses statewide online within the next year.
The Google website workshop Wednesday is at the La Zona Rosa Restaurant at 612 West 4th Street. It begins at 8 a.m. and continues until 8 p.m.
