The landscape of domain registration and web hosting in India is experiencing significant growth, evident in the uptick in registrations as traditional businesses and MSMEs acknowledge the necessity of digitalization. This trend is propelled by an expanding tech-savvy consumer base, compelling companies to embrace innovative business models. As India undergoes a digital transformation, this sector is poised to play a pivotal role in shaping the online presence of businesses across diverse industries. GoDaddy, a major domain registrar, stands at the forefront of empowering customers globally. In an exclusive conversation, Rajeev Ranjan, Editor of Digital Terminal, recently engaged in a dialogue with Mr. Apurva Palnitkar, Senior Director of Marketing, GoDaddy India, shedding light on intriguing topics such as the internet economy, next-gen technologies, GoDaddy's offerings, and more. Dive into the excerpts below for a glimpse into insightful discussion:
Rajeev: How do you think the internet economy plays a significant role in boosting the initialization journey of small businesses?
Apurva Palnitkar: The growing internet economy significantly accelerate the digitalization journey of small businesses because it offers benefits such as expansion of their reach, ecommerce, cost-effective marketing tactics like using email marketing campaigns, and access to online resources including tools to help analyze data. All these aspects can be a crucial part of developing a strong online presence, that begins with access to the internet.
The internet is a robust tool for small businesses to embrace to help them reach more customers and grow their business. A business website can act as the hub of their business online. Having a digital location for a business allows it to conduct the work needed to take advantage of these benefits. For example, a small business can send a marketing newsletter to potential customers and point them to their website online store to make a purchase. Online tools can work together to help develop a revenue model anchored by their own website.
Rajeev: Highlight a few of the crucial technological developments that have taken place in the SMB industry.
Apurva Palnitkar: In a recent survey by GoDaddy, several key findings shed light on how technology is accelerating the growth of Indian small businesses. Among those surveyed in India, 62% reported their sales channels are driven by their company website, which highlights the importance of having a strong online presence.
The survey results is a testament to the proactive approach of Indian small businesses towards leveraging these modern technologies such as AI and data analytics. The use of all these technologies can help to enhance operational efficiency, optimize resource allocation, and identify new revenue opportunities. And, a significant number of Indian businesses surveyed, 83% said they started selling online within the last five years.
Digital transformation is compelling businesses to alter their business models and adapt to the new market reality. By leveraging digitalization Indian small businesses can harness the power of technology and realize the benefits of being online to effectively reach their target audience.
Rajeev: How do you think GoDaddy strengthens the digital journey of SMBs with its products and services?
Apurva Palnitkar: GoDaddy empowers SMBs in their digital journey through a comprehensive suite of services. From domain registration to website building tools and secure hosting, GoDaddy enables small businesses to establish a safe and professional presence online. It also offers e-commerce solutions to facilitate online sales and ensures mobile optimization for accessibility on various devices. Moreover, GoDaddy's offers 24/7 customer support to help entrepreneurs at every step of the way.
Rajeev: Elaborate on the recent launch of GoDaddy AI-Powered Instant Video, how is it different from traditional products.
Apurva Palnitkar: The recent launch of GoDaddy Studio’s AI-Powered Instant Video represents a significant advancement in digital marketing and content creation for small businesses. This feature is part of the GoDaddy Studio app and stands out from traditional products because it harnesses the power of artificial intelligence to simplify and enhance the process of creating video content for online marketing and social commerce. Some differences and benefits of GoDaddy AI-powered Instant Video compared to traditional methods include:
· AI-Powered Video Styles: GoDaddy Studio’s Instant Video feature allows users to choose from a variety of relevant video styles. This means that small business owners don't need to be skilled in video editing or design. The Instant Video feature uses AI to suggest the video style and music to go along with a video and allows users to choose and customize these video styles to suit their branding and message without having to be tech-savvy.
· Influencer-Quality Videos: The use of AI ensures that the videos generated are of high quality, akin to those produced by influencers. This elevates the professionalism of the content and enhances its potential impact on the audience, which can be challenging to achieve with traditional tools, especially for small businesses.
· Auto-Generated Slogans: GoDaddy Studio’s AI feature can auto-generate slogans based on video clips or images simplifies the process of adding text and captions to videos. This feature can save a lot of time and creativity compared to manually crafting slogans.
· No Design Experience Required: Traditional video editing software often demands a certain level of expertise in design and editing. GoDaddy's AI-powered tool eliminates this barrier, allowing even those with no prior design experience to create engaging video content for social media and marketing purposes.
· Seamless Integration: The app provides a library of content and tools that can be seamlessly integrated into the videos. This can save users time and effort in finding relevant images, video clips, or other content for their marketing materials.
· Exporting Simplicity: Exporting the created videos directly from the Instant Video editor simplifies the process and makes it more user-friendly. Traditional tools might require additional steps and software to export and optimize videos for various platforms.
Rajeev: Business security is an important aspect of an online business. Discuss web security services by GoDaddy.
Apurva Palnitkar: Web security is a crucial aspect of running an online business, as it helps protect your website, customer and company data, and online transactions from various threats and vulnerabilities. GoDaddy offers a range of web security services to help businesses safeguard their online presence. Here are some of GoDaddy's web security services:
· Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Certificates: They are fundamental for encrypting data transmitted between your website and visitors' browsers. This ensures that data, such as personal information and payment details, remains secure during transmission.
· Website Security Solutions: These protect your website from common online threats, including malware, hacking, and distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. These services often include regular malware scans, removal of malware, and firewall protection.
· Content Delivery Network (CDN): This helps improve website performance and security. GoDaddy's CDN services distribute website content across multiple servers to reduce load times and protect against DDoS attacks. This also helps mitigate traffic spikes and ensures a smoother user experience.
· Web Application Firewall (WAF): A security solution that filters and monitors incoming traffic to your website, blocking malicious requests while allowing legitimate ones. GoDaddy's WAF helps protect your site from various web threats, including SQL injection and cross-site scripting.
Rajeev: Do you think the social media marketplace dominates website marketing?
Apurva Palnitkar: Social media and website marketing play distinct but complementary roles in today’s digital world. Social media platforms are powerful tools for engaging audiences, building brand awareness, and directing traffic to a company website where the business can be fully in charge of how they present their information, provides up to date business information. Websites remain pivotal for providing a central, controlled hub where users can find comprehensive information, convert, and foster long-term relationships with a business. The most effective approach often involves a harmonious combination of both, leveraging the strengths of each to create a robust online presence and achieve marketing goals.
