Google offers to help small businesses

GOOGLE Philippines has offered to help increase the number of small businesses in the Philippines that have a website. To do so, the company partnered with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to link micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSME) to its online listing tool. Yves Gonzales, Google Philippines government affairs and public policy head, told reporters on Wednesday that the company had trained 2,780 MSMEs in 20 cities and eight regions with digital tools since last year. “The objective is really to help MSMEs digitize,” he said. “It’s a big opportunity for MSMEs to be able to be discoverable on (Google) search, on Maps.” Google’s digital workshops and the use of its tools are free. Google My Business is the online listing tool that helps businesses create an online presence, including developing a free website. Primer is a mobile app that teaches business owners digital skills.