It has been known for some time that small
businesses have had access to third party websites to
extend their web presence. However, little is known
about the extent to which they use them and how the
usage may differ across various types of small
businesses. This paper addresses this by examining
the third party website use of 50 Australian small
businesses that have used the services of 139 third
party websites. There are differences that can be
attributed to different business categories. The
majority of third party websites used were directory
services, with more complex portal websites being
used by the accommodation, café and restaurant;
retail and personal services business categories.
Most businesses used directories that were free to
use or were free for basic listings with a fee for
extended listings. However, some 30% of the third
party website usage did involve some fee.