India has the lowest number of web domains registered among top economies

Indian businesses want bigger footprint on the web. Businesses, starting from a handicraft-maker in Haridwar to a textile supplier from Chennai, are slowly but surely realising that a presence on the web is crucial to survive and grow in the internet-age. A simple Google search is now the de facto meaning of discovery for any business or service, and also a way to find customers outside one’s immediate vicinity.

Over the years, hundreds of millions of small businesses have come online, launched websites and social media pages. For business-owners with little knowledge of the web, a thriving ecosystem of web professionals has now come to existence. This includes web designers, developers, digital agencies, IT service providers and any business that helps other businesses get an online presence.

However, India is still a laggard when it comes to digital presence of businesses. In a country with 560 million internet users, there are only 5 million web domains (websites) registered. This translates to a mere 0.9 per cent domain penetration ratio, and far lower than 37.6 per cent in the US.

This is also an opportunity. Consultancy firm Zinnov estimates web services professionals industry could earn around $750 million over the next three years as new and old businesses look to move online. “The increasing trend in internet penetration, online commerce and cyber security will grow the adoption of services for online presence, digital discovery and productivity applications by SMBs in India,” says Pari Natarajan, founder and CEO, Zinnov.

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