Small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are doing less than a third of what’s required for a healthy digital presence, according to data from Navii’s Digital Health Check. The data, based on a survey of 602 small to medium-sized enterprises, saw an average score of just 32.2% on a test of overall digital health, which tracks website, SEO, and social media best practices.
What were the findings of Navii’s survey?
The average business scored just 42.8% on website basics such as a clickable phone number, having opening hours and contact information displayed, and including a business address. The Digital Health Check surveyed small to medium-sized enterprises across a range of industries, including education and training, retail, tourism, health care, hospitality, etc.
An assessment of Facebook scores saw just 18.1% of best practice markers achieved. The study assessed businesses for indicators like ‘posted a minimum of two posts per week’, and ‘received at least five recommendations in the past two months.’ Instagram saw better results at 24.8%, with the assessment on signals of health including ‘listing your account as a business account’, ‘using Instagram Highlights’, and ‘using hashtags on every post’.
On an assessment of search engine best practices, small to medium-sized enterprises scored an average of 22.1% for Google My Business and local search and 30.0% for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) best practices. The SEO assessment examined simple best practices including the following; having a content-rich website, being indexed in Google, and ensuring your homepage meta title and description comply with Google’s recommendations.
What were Navii’s thoughts on the findings?
Liz Ward, co-founder and CEO, Navii, said: “The results show there’s still a lot of work required for SMEs to achieve a healthy digital presence. The SMEs we surveyed were underdelivering across their website, social media, and search engine scores and therefore missing out on opportunities for better exposure and engagement with their target markets.”
“The good news is that in many cases, making a fix can be simple – and the rewards can be huge. Now is the perfect time to reassess your digital health and take the steps required to meet the needs of your digitally savvy customer,” Liz Ward further commented.
