Google teams up with Endurance to get African and Southeast Asian businesses online for free

It's important for any business to establish an online presence, and this is certainly true in emerging markets. It's something recognized by Google, and the company is teaming up with Endurance International Group to help SMBs in Africa and Southeast Asia to launch online ventures.

Google's reputation online precedes it, but Endurance might not be a name that's overly familiar. The company provides hosting, and the new partnership with Google is set to benefit businesses in South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Indonesia and Malaysia.

There's no shortage of companies looking to help get businesses online, but the difference here is that there are no charges involved. Interested SMBs have access to Google My Business which Endurance will help to get set up. This involves getting businesses up and running on Google Maps, Google+, and getting noticed in search results. There are also paid-for add-ons available such as creating a full blown website rather than just a Google My Business page and the option to get started in ecommerce.

This might all sound a little basic, but you never know what might explode from a small acorn, as the saying goes. Hari Ravichandran, CEO of Endurance said: "Google is stimulating demand for web solutions around the world and Google My Business is a great platform for rapidly getting listed and found online. We expect it will bring many businesses to the web for the first time".

Endurance has history in helping out in emerging markets, having already worked with Google in India on a similar project. The company sees such markets as key to the future of web hosting.

Photo credit: Manczurov / Shutterstock