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Memminger Auditorium in Charleston was the place to be Tuesday for small business owners. Google held a seminar to educate business owners on how to setup and run a successful website.

The S.C. Get Your Business Online initiative was the first of its kind for Google.

There was all day training for business owners to build their own website, Google Director of Small Business Engagement & Advocacy John Ploutmitsakos said.

About 53 percent of South Carolina businesses don’t have a website.

The idea is to show businesses how to create a website to get it up and running, he said.

The seminar is also useful for businesses with an established website to learn how to promote the business online, according to Ploutmitsakos.

The goal is to make it fast, easy and free for small business to get online, he said.

“Owners have to be out there running their businesses from day to day,” he said, adding that that’s why getting a live website needs to be done quickly.

Anyone could walk in and participate, but around 400 people had RSVP’d.

Google worked with statewide partners to help promote the program, which will help drive economic growth by giving South Carolina businesses the tools and resources to establish a website, find new customers, and grow their business, according to the press release.

“Small businesses are the economic engine for our country, certainly for South Carolina,” U.S. Sen Jim DeMint said when he stopped by in the morning. “I was in the small business for years. I remember going to my first Internet seminar back in the ‘80s.

“This is a way for small businesses to create a level playing field with large businesses. Local businesses can be national overnight by being on the Internet. I really appreciate this whole workshop, making people realize that if you don’t have the Internet you’re missing a large part of the market.

“It’s already contributing to our economy . . . More and more if people want to find a local business of any kind they’ll just go on the Internet and Google it.”

Congressman Tim Scott was expected to stop by later in the day after the Journal Scene went to press.

For the next year, participating South Carolina businesses can go to www.southcarolinagetonline.com to get a free website as well as free tools, training and resources to help their business succeed online.

The website offers the same service for people who couldn’t make it to the service at Memminger in Tuesday, Ploutmitsakos said.

“The perception that getting online is complex, costly and time-consuming has prevented many South Carolina small businesses from taking the first step,” said Scott Levitan, director of Small Business Engagement at Google. “This program makes it fast, easy and free for businesses to get online, and we’re excited that hundreds of business owners in South Carolina have registered online and are participating in the program.”

Nicola Grab of Summerville – a mother of five – stopped by with her three school-aged boys that she homeschools. It was their class for the day, but it also doubled as a way for Grab to help her small business franchise, Service Master Advanced Cleaning, she said.

“I wanted to learn how to do this,” Grab said before entering one of the many seminars.

She said her boys dog sit and mow lawns to earn money.

“Google is at the forefront of putting small businesses online,” said Brad Mallett, owner of Coastal Coffee Roasters in Summerville. “They’ve helped us correct some of the pictures and site listing.”

He said with Google’s help small businesses can have the same online appearance as the big guys.

Greater Summerville Dorchester Chamber of Commerce Account Executive Marie McLeod said she didn’t know all that Google had to offer before attending the seminar. She said she knows of a lot of small businesses that could benefit by attending.

She said she hears a lot of questions from business owners about how to build a website and get people to visit the site.

“We have to keep up with technology. People are getting away from the old fashioned way of shopping. People are really utilizing social media to grow their businesses.”

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