The results of a survey of small- and medium-sized (SMB) business owners which already conduct business online, was released today by SCORE and Verisign, the registry of the .Com and .Net registries.
An inforgraphic was also published which appears above.
Unlike almost study I have read, I cannot find in any of the material how many SMB participated in the study, how the study was conducted and what time frame the study was conducted.
According to this survey of small- and medium-sized (SMB) business owners already conducting business online:
4 out of 5 SMB website owners prefer a .com web address over a new gTLD web address.
81% of website owners believe new gTLDs will be confusing to their customers.
77% of SMB website owners prefer a .com web address over a new gTLDs that describes their business.
79% of Internet users would rather visit a .com will confuse customers.
66% of SMB website owners prefer a descriptive, longer .com web address to a shorter new gTLD address.
An overwhelming majority (94%) feel safe visiting a .com while only 33% feel comfortable visiting a new gTLD.
About SCORE
Since 1964, SCORE has helped more than 10 million aspiring entrepreneurs. Each year, SCORE provides small business mentoring, workshops and education to more than 375,000 new and growing small businesses. More than 11,000 business experts volunteer as mentors in over 320 chapters serving local communities with entrepreneur education.
