Tech Giant Honors Zionsville

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Google Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOG) has named Zionsville its 2014 eCity for the state of Indiana. The tech giant cites the town's website and Pathways Program in naming it one of the country's strongest online business communities. This is the second straight year the Boone County town has earned the designation. Zionsville Information Technology Director Joseph Rust says a strong online presence is crucial for the community's economic development, since businesses looking for a place to expand often begin with an Internet search.

Mountain View, California — Google has named Zionsville as the 2014 eCity for the State of Indiana. The eCity Awards recognize the strongest online business communities in all fifty states. The businesses in these communities are embracing the web to find new customers, connect with existing clients and fuel their local economies. Zionsville joins the ranks of America's leading cities in the digital economy.

“Zionsville serves as a prime example of how innovation and growth in e-commerce can successfully contribute to bolstering economic progress and competitiveness,” said Emma Ogiemwanye, a representative from Google. “Google is proud to recognize Zionsville's accomplishment, and the role it plays in creating Indiana jobs.”

BACKGROUND:

Ninety-seven percent of Internet users look online for local products and services. Businesses need to be where their customers are and in 2014, that is online. The impact of being online is significant–businesses that are online grow twice as fast and are twice as likely to create jobs as their offline counterparts.

Google and independent research firm, Ipsos, analyzed the online strength of local small businesses across all fifty states. They weighed a variety of factors to determine the leading cities and towns across the US, including the likelihood of small businesses to have a website, use a blog, promote themselves on a social network, sell goods directly from their webpages and whether they had a mobile-friendly website. The winning cities exhibited strong engagement and potential for growth within the digital economy. This is the second year Google has announced a list of eCities for the United States. For more information visit www.google.com/ecities.

Source: Google