Study: Aussie SMEs Seriously Disinvested In A Healthy Digital Presence

Small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are doing less than a third of what’s required for a healthy digital presence, according to new data from Navii’s Digital Health Check.

The data, based on a survey of 602 Australian SMEs, saw an average score of just 32.2 per cent on a test of overall digital health, which tracks website, SEO, and social media best practices.

The average business scored just 42.8 per cent 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 SMEs across a range of industries, including education and training, retail, tourism, health care, hospitality, and more.

An assessment of Facebook scores saw just 18.1 per cent of best practice markers achieved. The health check assessed businesses for indicators such as ‘posted a minimum of two posts per week’, and ‘received at least five recommendations in the past two months.’

Instagram saw slightly better results over Facebook at 24.8 per cent, with the assessment checking for 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, SMEs scored an average of 22.1 per cent for Google My Business and local search and 30 per cent for SEO best practices. The SEO assessment examined simple best practices such as having a content-rich website, being indexed in Google, and ensuring your homepage meta title and description comply with Google’s recommendations.

Liz Ward (lead image), 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. Across the board, 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.”

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