Intuit Websites Helps Small Businesses Get Online and Get Customers

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Enhanced Services Increase Visibility Without Breaking the Bank

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- What's more important to finding a business than a street address? A web address.

Some 93 percent of U.S. consumers turn to the Internet to find local businesses. To make it easier to find those businesses, Intuit Inc. (Nasdaq:INTU), the maker of best-selling QuickBooks(R), is adding new capabilities to its Website service at the same affordable price. The first month is free, with subscription prices starting at $4.99 per month afterward.

"In today's Internet-driven world, having a website and building an online presence is essential for a small business," said Angus Thomson, vice president and general manager of Intuit's Grow Your Business division. "It provides an enormous opportunity to not only attract new customers online, but also engage with existing ones so they keep coming back."

Get Online

A new version of Intuit's do-it-yourself website building tool provides small businesses with the essential tools to get up and running quickly. It lets small business owners customize their websites to reflect the uniqueness of their businesses. Key features include: 

    --  Tailor-fit designs: With more than 2,000 templates available, users can
        easily customize their choice to reflect their unique businesses.
    --  Easy-to-use functionality: Drag-and-drop website elements make it simple
        to place pictures and text on the page. Step-by-step navigation
        logically guides users as they build their websites.
    --  Social network integration:Users can increase their visibility on social
        networks such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn by embedding "follow me"
        buttons. They can also extend the reach of their websites by encouraging
        their visitors to share news and reviews about them on Facebook via a
        "Facebook Like" button. Additionally, they can easily add and manage a
        blog as a way to communicate with customers and keep their website
        content fresh.
    --  E-commerce capabilities:Online merchants can create their own e-stores,
        complete with shopping carts and easy payment options.
    --  Browser-based tool:Users have the flexibility to manage their websites
        anytime, anywhere. The service supports Internet Explorer, Firefox and
        Safari.

Expert Help

For those needing extra assistance, Intuit's team of Web Advisors are available seven days a week to provide expert guidance at any step in the process. This service is included in the monthly fee. The Web Advisors are U.S.-based and can provide help with Intuit's website tools, offer design tips and suggest online marketing tactics to get more customers to small businesses' websites. Most of them have previously either owned or worked in small businesses, so can offer advice based on experience.

"Intuit Websites is so easy, anybody can use it! As an added benefit, Intuit's Web Advisors provided the hand-holding I needed to get my website up and running, and then helped me figure out the best ways to get more traffic to my website," said Kelli Motsinger, owner of Little Kelli's Playhouse Childcare & Preschool in Oxford, Mich. "We now get about 75 percent of our new customers from the website."

Get Customers

After creating their websites, small businesses can sign up for additional services to help attract customers. Intuit's WebListings service submits business information to more than 100 major local search sites to help local customers find the business.

Other services include search engine optimization, which improves the visibility of a website in search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing, and e-mail marketing, which enables small businesses to send e-mails directly to targeted lists of customers.

Additionally, Intuit's Online Marketing Toolkit (www.Intuit.com/Toolkit) offers advice to small businesses interested in learning more about online marketing strategies and tactics. The free online resource shares best practices and real-life small business success stories. Topics range from "Building a Website" to "Search Engine Marketing" and "Social Marketing."

More information about Intuit Websites can be found at www.IntuitWebsites.com.

Resources: 

    --  Intuit on Twitter (http://twitter.com/intuit)
    --  Intuit Small Business Blog (www.Intuit.com/Blog)

About Intuit Inc.

Intuit Inc. is a leading provider of business and financial management solutions for small and mid-sized businesses; financial institutions, including banks and credit unions; consumers and accounting professionals. Its flagship products and services, including QuickBooks(R), Quicken(R) and TurboTax(R), simplify small business management and payroll processing, personal finance, and tax preparation and filing. ProSeries(R) and Lacerte(R) are Intuit's leading tax preparation offerings for professional accountants. Intuit Financial Services helps banks and credit unions grow by providing on-demand solutions and services that make it easier for consumers and businesses to manage their money.

Founded in 1983, Intuit had annual revenue of $3.5 billion in its fiscal year 2010. The company has approximately 7,700 employees with major offices in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, India and other locations. More information can be found at www.intuit.com.

Intuit, the Intuit logo, and QuickBooks, among others, are registered trademarks and/or registered service marks of Intuit Inc. in the United States and other countries. 


    Source: Intuit Inc.

Released August 24, 2010