Google has named New Zealand’s top eTowns, locations where small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are outpacing those from other areas in embracing the web to grow their business.
Auckland, Nelson, Queenstown, Tauranga and Wellington were named as the top five in the inaugural New Zealand eTown awards, with a national eTown winner set to be named from the five regional winners in May.
Designed to celebrate the towns and cities making the best use of the web to connect with customers and grow their market presence, the towns were assessed based on their business’s use of websites, social media, online directory listings, and online marketing.
Google New Zealand country manager Tony Keusgen says it was gratifying to see small and large towns alike featuring in the awards, with some smaller towns and cities outpacing larger neighbours.
“The web has always been great at levelling the playing field, and the New Zealand eTown winners prove this,” he says.
“The awards highlight the power of the web to help businesses—and towns—pivot into new areas based on economic conditions.
"Many towns known in New Zealand for tourism have made the most of the web to raise their virtual visitor numbers as real-world visitor numbers dropped after the global financial crisis."
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