An exploration of small business website optimization: Enablers, influencers and an assessment approach

International Small Business Journal

Volumn 29, Issue 5, 2011, Pages 534-561

  Simmons, Geoff ^a   Armstrong, Gillian A ^a   Durkin, Mark G ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF ULSTER   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

Internet adoption; small business internet adoption; small business internet optimization; small business marketing

Indexed keywords

EID: 80053651942     PISSN: 02662426     EISSN: 17412870     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1177/0266242610369945     Document Type: Article

References (125)

1. Admiraal W,Lockhorst D.E-Learning in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises across Europe: Attitudes towards Technology, Learning and Training.International Small Business Journal. 2009;27 (6): 743-767.
2. Aguila-Obra ARD,Padilla-Melendez A.Organizational factors affecting Internet technology adoption.Internet Research. 2006;16 (1): 94-110.
3. Andrews L,Boyle MV.Consumers' accounts of perceived risk online and the influence of communication sources.Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal. 2008;11 (1): 59-75.
4. Baourakis G,Kourgiantakis M,Migdalas A.The impact of e-commerce on agro-food marketing: The case of agricultural cooperatives, firms and consumers in Crete.British Food Journal. 2002;104 (8): 580-590.
5. Bengtsson M,Boter H,Vanyushyn V.Integrating the Internet and marketing operations: A study of antecedents in firms of different size.International Small Business Journal. 2007;25 (2): 27-48.
6. Berthon P,Pitt L,Watson RT.Re-surfing W3: Research perspectives on marketing communications and buyer behavior on the worldwide web.International Journal of Advertising. 1996;15 (9): 287-301.
7. BevanN (2001) How to design a customer-friendly online store: Usability guidelines. Available at: www.usability.serco.com/research/research.htm (accessed May 3, 2008).
8. Canavan O,Henchion M,O'Reilly S.The use of the internet as a marketing channel for Irish speciality food.International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management. 2007;35 (2): 178-195.
9. Carson D,Gilmore A.Marketing at the interface: Not 'what' but 'how'.Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice. 2000;8 (2): 1-7.
10. CarterSTaggSMasonC (2006) Lifting the Barriers to Growth in UK Small Businesses: The FSB Biennial Membership Survey. Federation of Small Business. Available at: http://www.fsb.org.uk.
11. Chappell C,Feindt S.Analysis of e-commerce practice in SMEs.Communications and Strategies. 2000;37:47-70.
12. Chaston I,Badger B,Mangles T,Sadler-Smith E.The Internet and e-commerce: An opportunity to examine organizational learning in progress in small manufacturing firms?.International Small Business Journal. 2001;19 (1): 13-30.
13. Chen L,Hanvey S,Patrick A,Spigarelli J,Jesseman C.SME Internet commerce: A case study.Information Resources. 2003;16 (3): 17.
14. Clarke J,Thorpe R,Anderson L,Gold J.It's all action, it's all learning: Action learning in SMEs.Journal of European Industrial Training. 2006;30 (6): 441-455.
15. Collinson E,Shaw E.Entrepreneurial marketing - a historical perspective on development and practice.Management Decision. 2001;39 (9): 761-766.
16. Coyle JR,Thorson E.The effects of progressive levels of interactivity and vividness in web marketing sites.Journal of Advertising. 2001;30 (3): 13-28.
17. Creswell JResearch Design: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage; 1994:.
18. Cunningham PJ.Are cookies hazardous to your privacy?.Information Management Journal. 2002;36 (3): 52-54.
19. Damanpour F.Organizational innovation: A meta-analysis of effects of determinants and motivators.Academy of Management Journal. 1991;34 (3): 555-590.
20. Dandridge T,Levenburg NM.High-tech potential? An exploratory study of very small firms' usage of the Internet.International Small Business Journal. 2000;18 (1): 81-91.
21. Darby M,Karni E.Free competition and the optimal amount of fraud.Journal of Law and Economics. 1973;16 (4): 67-86.
22. De Figueiredo JM.Finding sustainable profitability in electronic commerce.Sloan Management Review. 2000;41 (4): 41-52.
23. Downie G.Interactive marketing SMEs.Management Services. 2003;47 (7): 8.
24. Earl MJ.Evolving the e-business.Business Strategy Review. 2000;11 (2): 33-38.
25. Elliott R,Boshoff C.The influence of organizational factors in small tourism businesses on the success of Internet marketing.Management Dynamics. 2005;14 (3): 44-49.
26. Evans JR,Mathur A.The value of online surveys.Internet Research. 2005;15 (2): 195-219.
27. Fillis I,Johanson U,Wagner B.E-business development: A conceptual model of the smaller firm.Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development. 2003;10 (3): 336-345.
28. Fillis I,Wagner B.E-business development: An exploratory investigation of the small firm.International Small Business Journal. 2005;23 (12): 604-634.
29. Fletcher R,Bell J,McNaughton RInternational E-Business Marketing. Surrey, UK: Thomson; 2004:.
30. Geissler GL.Building customer relationships online: The web site designers' perspective.Journal of Consumer Marketing. 2001;18:488-502.
31. Ghose S,Dou W.Interactive functions and their impacts on the appeal of Internet presence sites.Journal of Advertising Research. 1998;38 (2): 29-43.
32. Gilmore A,Carson D,Grant K.SME marketing in practice.Marketing Intelligence and Planning. 2001;19 (1): 6.
33. Gray CWJ (2006) Stage models of ICT adoption in small firms. In: Zappala S and Gray C (eds) Impact of e-Commerce on Consumers and Small Firms. London: Ashgate, 3-20.
34. Ha L,James EL.Interactivity reexamined: A baseline analysis of early business web sites.Journal of Broadcasters and Electronic Media. 1998;42 (4): 457-469.
35. Harindranath G,Dyerson R,Barnes D.ICT adoption and use in UK SMEs: A failure of initiatives?.Electronic Journal of Information Systems Evaluation. 2008;11 (2): 37-53.
36. Hill J.A multidimensional study of the key determinants of effective SME marketing activity: Part 1.International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior and Research. 2001;7 (5): 171-204.
37. Hill J,Wright LT.A qualitative research agenda for small to medium-sized enterprises.Marketing Intelligence and Planning. 2001;19 (6): 432-443.
38. Holmen M,Magnusson M,McKelvey M.What are innovative opportunities?.Industry and Innovation. 2007;14 (1): 27-46.
39. Hoffman DL,Novak TP.A new marketing paradigm for electronic.The Information Society. 1996;13 (1): 43-55.
40. Houghton KA and Winklhofer H (2002) Internet adoption in exporting SMEs: Development of a conceptual model. American Marketing Association Winter Educators Conference Proceedings (Austin, Texas) 13: 504-505.
41. Hult GT,Hurley RF,Knight GA.Innovativeness: Its antecedents and impact on business performance.Industrial Marketing Management. 2003;33:429-438.
42. Ibeh KIN,Luo Y,Dinnie K.E-branding strategies of internet companies: Some preliminary insights from the UK.Journal of Brand Management. 2005;12 (5): 355.
43. Jahng J,Jain H,Ramamurthy K.Effective design of electronic commerce environments: A proposed theory of congruence and an illustration.IEEE Transactions of Systems, Management and Cybernetics. 2000;30 (4): 456-471.
44. Jaworski B,Kohli A.Market orientation: Antecedents and consequences.Journal of Marketing. 1993;57 (7): 53-70.
45. Jones C,Hecker R,Holland P.Small firm Internet adoption: Opportunities forgone, a journey not begun.Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development. 2003;10 (3): 287-298.
46. King N (2004) Using templates in the thematic analysis of text. In: Cassell C and Symon G (eds) Essential Guide to Qualitative Methods in Organizational Research. London: Sage, 256-270.
47. Kozinets RV.The filed behind the screen: Using netnography for marketing research in online communities.Journal of Marketing Research. 2002;39 (1): 61-73.
48. Levy A,Merry UOrganizational Transformation: Approaches, Strategies Theories. New York: Praeger; 1986:.
49. Levy M,Powell P.Exploring SME internet adoption: Towards a contingent model.Electronic Markets. 2003;13 (2): 173-181.
50. Lewis R,Cockrill A.Going global - remaining local: The impact of e-commerce on small retail firms in Wales.International Journal of Information Management. 2002;22:195-209.
51. Lewis K,Massey C,Harris C.Learning by doing: Six dimensions of complexity in researching SMEs.Qualitative Research in Accounting and Management. 2007;4 (2): 151-163.
52. Lincoln Y,Guba ENaturalistic Inquiry. New York: Sage; 1985:.
53. Liu Y,Shrum LJ.What is interactivity and is it always such a good thing? Implications of definition, person, and situation for the influence of interactivity on advertising effectiveness.Journal of Advertising. 2002;31 (4): 53-64.
54. Marcolin B,Coviello N,Milley R.Assessing web-enabled interactivity: An audit tool.Journal of Organisational and End User Computing. 2005;17 (4): 23-48.
55. Marshall C,Rossman GDesigning Qualitative Research. London: Sage; 2006:.
56. Martin LM,Matlay H.Blanket approaches to small firm ICT adoption: Lessons from the DTI ladder adoption model in the UK.Internet Research: Electronic Networking Applications and Policy. 2001;11 (5): 399-416.
57. Martin LM,Matlay H.Innovative use of the Internet in established small firms: The impact of knowledge management and organisational learning in accessing new opportunities.Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal. 2003;6 (1): 18-26.
58. Matlay H,Westhead P.Virtual teams and the rise of e-Entrepreneurship in Europe.International Small Business Journal. 2005;23 (6): 279-302.
59. McMillan SJ,Hwang JS.Measures of perceived interactivity: An exploration of the role of direction of communication, user control, and time in shaping perceptions of interactivity.Journal of Advertising. 2002;31 (3): 29-42.
60. Mendo FA,Fitzgerald G.A multidimensional framework for SME e-business progression.Journal of Enterprise Information Management. 2005;18 (6): 678-696.
61. Miles MP,Darroch J.Large firms, entrepreneurial marketing processes, and the cycle of competitive advantage.European Journal of Marketing. 2006;40 (5/6): 485-501.
62. Moriarty J,Jones R,Rowley J,Kupiec-Teahan B.Marketing in small hotels: A qualitative study.Marketing, Intelligence and Planning. 2008;26 (3): 293-315.
63. Morgan RE,Katsikeas CS,Appuh-Adu K.Market orientation and organizational learning.Journal of Marketing Management. 1998;14:353-381.
64. Morris MH,Schindehutte M,LaForge RW.Entrepreneurial marketing: A construct for integrating emerging entrepreneurship and marketing perspectives.Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice. 2002;10 (4): 1-19.
65. Moussi C and Davey B (2000) Internet-based electronic commerce: Perceived benefits and inhibitors. Proceedings of the Australian Conference on Information Systems, Information Systems Management Research Centre, Queensland, University of Technology, Brisbane, December 6-8.
66. Narver J,Slater S.The effect of a market orientation on business profitability.Journal of Marketing. 1990;54 (10): 20-35.
67. Nelson P.Information and consumer behaviour.Journal of Political Economy. 1970;78 (3/4): 311-329.
68. Nelson P.Advertising as information.Journal of Political Economy. 1974;81 (7/8): 729-754.
69. NielsenJ (2003) The ten most violated homepage design guidelines. Available at: www.useit.com/alertbox/20031110.html (accessed May 3, 2007).
70. O'Donnell A,Gilmore A,Cummins D,Carson D.The network construct in entrepreneurship research: A review and critique.Management Decision. 2001;39 (9): 749-760.
71. Ofcom (2007) The Communications Market Report: Nations and Regions: Northern Ireland. Office of Communications, London, UK.
72. O'Leary C,Rao S,Perry C.Improving customer relationship management through database/internet marketing: A theory-building action research project.European Journal of Marketing. 2004;38 (3/4): 338-354.
73. Palmer JW.Web site usability, design, and performance metrics.Information Systems Research. 2002;13 (2): 151-167.
74. Parker CM,Castleman T.Small firm e-business adoption: A critical analysis of theory.Journal of Enterprise Information Management. 2009;22 (1/2): 167-182.
75. Parkhe A.'Messy' research, methodological predispositions and theory development in international joint ventures.Academy of Management Review. 1993;18 (2): 227-268.
76. Patton MQQualitative Evaluation and Research Methods. London: Sage; 1990:.
77. Pelham AM,Wilson DT.A longitudinal study of the impact of market structure, firm structure, strategy, and market orientation culture on dimensions of small-firm performance.Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science. 1996;24 (1): 27-43.
78. Perry M,Bodkin C.Content analysis of 100 company Web sites.Corporate Communications: An International Journal. 2000;6 (2): 87-97.
79. Pflughoeft KA,Ramamurthy K,Soofi E S,Yasai-Ardekani M,Fatemah M.Multiple conceptualizations of SME Web use and benefit.Decision Sciences. 2003;34 (3): 467-513.
80. Phau I,Poon SM.Factors influencing the types of products and services purchased over the Internet.Internet Research: Electronic Networking Applications and Policy. 2000;10 (2): 102-113.
81. Phippen AD.An evaluative methodology for virtual communications using web analytics.Campus-Wide Information Systems. 2004;21 (5): 179.
82. Pickernall DG,Chrisite MJ,Rowe PA,Thomas BC,Putterill LG,Griffiths JL.Farmers' markets in Wales: Making the 'Net' work?.British Food Journal. 2004;106 (3): 194-210.
83. Poon S,Swatman P.An exploratory study of SME Internet commerce issues.Information and Management. 1999;35 (1): 9-18.
84. Poon S.Business environment and Internet commerce benefit - a SME perspective.European Journal of Information Systems. 2000;9:72-81.
85. Premkamar G,Roberts M.Adoption of new information technologies in rural small businesses.International Journal of Management Science. 1999;27:467-484.
86. Probaker PR.Who owns the online consumer?.Journal of Consumer Marketing. 2000;17 (2): 158-171.
87. Rai A.External information source and channel effectiveness and the diffusion of CASE innovations: An empirical study.European Journal of Information Systems. 1995;4 (2): 93-102.
88. Ramus K,Nielsen NA.Online grocery retailing: What do consumers think?.Internet Research. 2005;15 (3): 335-352.
89. Rao SS,Metts G,Mora Monge CA.Electronic commerce development in small and medium sized enterprises: A stage model and its implications.Business Process Management. 2003;9 (1): 11-32.
90. Raymond L.Determinants of Web site implementation in SMEs.Internet Research. 2001;11 (5): 411-423.
91. Rayport JF,Jaworski BJE-Commerce. Sydney: McGraw-Hill/Irwin; 2001:.
92. Rayport JF,Jaworski BJIntroduction to E-Commerce. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill; 2002:.
93. Riege A,Perry C.National marketing strategies in international travel and tourism.European Journal of Marketing. 2000;34 (11/12): 1290-1304.
94. Rogers EMDiffusion of Innovations. New York: Free Press; 1995:.
95. Rowley J.Just another channel? Marketing communications in e-business.Marketing Intelligence and Planning. 2004;22 (1): 24.
96. Sadowski BM,Maitland C,van Douyer J.Strategic use of the Internet by small-and medium-sized companies: An exploratory study.Information Economics and Policy. 2002;14 (1): 75-93.
97. Saunders M, Lewis P and Thornhill A (2007) Research Methods for Business Students (fourth edition). Harlow: Pearson Education.
98. Shaw E.A guide to the qualitative research process: Evidence from a small firm study.Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal. 1999;2 (2): 59-70.
99. Sicilia M,Ruiz S,Munuera JL.Effects of interactivity in a web site.Journal of Advertising. 2005;34 (3): 31-45.
100. Simmons GJ.i-branding: Developing the Internet as a branding tool.Marketing Intelligence and Planning. 2007;6 (25): 544-563.
101. Simmons G.Marketing to postmodern consumers: Introducing the Internet chameleon.European Journal of Marketing. 2008;42 (3/4): 299-310.
102. Simmons GJ,Durkin MG,McGowan P,Armstrong GA.Determinants of internet adoption by SME agri-food companies.Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development. 2007;14 (4): 620-640.
103. Simmons G,Armstrong GA,Durkin MG.A conceptualization of the determinants of small business Website adoption: Setting the research agenda.International Small Business Journal. 2008;26 (3): 351-389.
104. Slater SF,Narver JC.Market orientation and the learning organization.Journal of Marketing. 1995;59 (7): 63-74.
105. Sparkes A,Thomas B.The use of the Internet as a critical success factor for the marketing of Welsh foods in the twenty-first century.British Food Journal. 2001;103 (5): 331-337.
106. SterneJCutlerM (2000) E-Metrics: Business metrics for the new economy. Available at: www.emetrics.org/articles/whitepaper.html (accessed 13th March 2005).
107. Stokes David.Entrepreneurial marketing: A conceptualisation from qualitative research.Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal. 2000;3 (1): 47-54.
108. Sultan F,Rohm AJ.The evolving role of the Internet in marketing strategy: An exploratory study.Journal of Interactive Marketing. 2004;18 (2): 46.
109. Tagliavini M,Ravarini A,Antonelli A.An evaluation model for electronic commerce activities within SMEs.Information Technology and Management. 2001;2 (2): 211-230.
110. Taylor MJ,England D.Internet marketing: Web site navigational design issues.Marketing Intelligence and Planning. 2006;24 (1): 77-85.
111. Teo TSH,Pian Y.A model for web adoption.Information and Management. 2004;41 (4): 457-468.
112. Tornatzky LG,Klein KJ.Innovation characteristics and innovation adoption-implementation: A meta-analysis of findings.IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management. 1982;29 (1): 28-45.
113. Vadapalli A,Ramamurthy K.Business use of the Internet: An analytical framework and exploratory case study.International Journal of Electronic Commerce. 1997;2 (2): 57-69.
114. Van Der Heijden H,Verhagen T.Online store image: Conceptual foundations and empirical measurement.Information & Management. 2004;41 (5): 609-617.
115. Van Smith J,Webster L.The knowledge economy and SMEs: A survey of skills requirements.Business Information Review. 2000;17 (3): 138-146.
116. Venkatraman V.IT-enabled business transformation: from automation to business scope redefinition.Sloan Management Review. 1994;35 (2): 73-87.
117. Venkatraman N.Five steps to a dot.com strategy: How to find your footing on the web.Sloan Management Review. 2000;41 (3): 15-28.
118. Wallendorf M and Belk RW (1989) Assessing trustworthiness in naturalistic consumer research. In: Hirschman E (ed.) Interpretive Consumer Research. Provo, UT: Association for Consumer Research, 69-84.
119. Webb B,Schlemmer F.The impact of strategic assets on financial performance and on internet performance.Electronic Markets. 2006;16 (2): 371-385.
120. Whitman ME,Perez J,Beise C.A study of user attitudes toward persistent cookies.Journal of Computer Information Systems. 2001;41 (3): 1-7.
121. Wilkins L,Swatman P,Castleman T.Electronic commerce as innovation - a framework for interpretive analysis. Paper presented at 13th Bled Electronic Commerce Conference; 2000 Bled.
122. Wilson NC,Stokes D.Laments and serenades: Relationship marketing and legitimation strategies for the cultural entrepreneur.Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal. 2004;7 (3): 218-227.
123. Wiseman J,Roe P,Elliott JAnnual Survey of Small Businesses: UK 2004/05. London: Small Business Service; 2006:.
124. Wu J,Chang Y.Towards understanding members' interactivity, trust, and flow in online travel community.Industrial Management and Data Systems. 2005;105 (7): 937-954.
125. Zontanos G,Anderson AR.Relationships, marketing and small business: An exploration of links in theory and practice.Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal. 2004;7 (3): 228-236.