GOOGLE DESIGNATES WARWICK AS RHODE ISLAND’S 2014 eCITY

GOOGLE DESIGNATES WARWICK AS RHODE ISLAND’S 2014 eCITY

Mountain View, CA: Google has named Warwick as the 2014 eCity for the State of Rhode Island. 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. Warwick joins the ranks of America's leading cities in the digital economy.

"Warwick 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 Warwick's accomplishment, and the role it plays in creating Rhode Island jobs."

Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian said, "I am very proud that Google has named Warwick as Rhode Island's 2014 eCity. This recognition speaks volumes about our vibrant and diverse business community and their capacity to leverage technology to reach their customers and showcase all that Warwick has to offer. It also reflects our City's ongoing efforts to grow a 21st century, innovation economy, create good-paying jobs and advance industries of the future."

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