Ryan Brennecke / The BulletinMarvin Augustin, of StartLogic, discusses website creation with local small-business owners during a Get Your Business Online event Wednesday at the Oxford Hotel in Bend.

Liz Gage of Bend Home Builders Inc. attended the Oregon Get Your Business Online seminar Wednesday to search for ways to boost her company’s online presence.

“We hope to use different methods we learn to have our company name show up in the search engine automatically,” said Gage, an administrative assistant for the Bend contractor. “We want people to find us, and I think right now we’re not being found.”

Gage was one 43 business representatives at The Oxford Hotel in Bend participating in the Get Your Business Online event, which the search giant has offered nationwide. The seminars teach businesspeople how to use various Google tools and help them build free websites.

“We have the program run in all 50 states, and have a central team at Google who works on placing our staff for every seminar,” said Melissa Nitti, Google spokesperson. “Googlers are really excited to be here in Oregon. It’s like a reward to get to come out to these GYBO events and help small businesses.”

U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Hood River, invited Google, which partnered with the Oregon Office of Economic and Business Equity, Portland Business Alliance and other organizations to sponsor the event.

“It’s part of our effort to reach out to the high-tech companies,” Walden said Wednesday. “This is a wonderful partnership … and clearly there is a lot of demand for Oregon’s small businesses to learn how to create a better online presence.”

In Oregon, 57 percent of small businesses did not have a website or online presence, according to a 2013 Google survey. About 97 percent of Internet users look online for local products and services, according to a 2010 statistic from BIA/Kelsey, an independent market researcher.

Whitney Lemon, marketing manager for Google’s Get Your Business Online program, started Wednesday’s seminar by teaching participants how to set a business up on Google Maps in 15 minutes.

“Lately, everyone wants to buy local and support local,” said Lemon. “I’m really excited that I can be here to speak today and help Bend businesses be found, get online and make the most of the Web.”

A representative from StartLogic, a Massachusetts company, that partners with Google, guided participants through the steps to create their websites. Participating businesses receive the Web hosting and domain name service free for one year.

After an introductory period, the company charges between $5.49-$14.50 a month to renew websites, depending on the hosting and payment plans, according to its website. Renewing a dot-com domain name costs $15.99 a year. Registration and renewal prices for other domains, such as dot-net and dot-org, vary.

For more information about Get Your Business Online, visit www.oregongetonline.com.

— Reporter: 541-383-0325,

vsmith@bendbulletin.com