GOOGLE tonight starts a three-month push to help businesses in Liverpool get online – and says it could launch similar projects in other cities if its Merseyside pilot proves successful.

The internet search giant is holding three months of workshops and events to help small firms set up websites and sell themselves online.

This is the first time Google has spent so long in one UK city.

Its UK managing director, Matt Brittin, said: “Our intention is to go to other cities. This is the first time we’ve done this – we’re looking to see what we can learn from it.

“We’re very excited about it.

“About 18 months ago, we started looking at ways to help businesses get more out of the internet.

“We did some research and found that small businesses using the internet were growing four times faster than those that weren’t.

“When we talked to them, we found that they thought getting online would be too complex and complicated for them.

“What we’re trying to do now is go a bit deeper, to try to understand what businesses are doing and how best to aid their growth.

“For the first time, we’re coming to spend a significant amount of time working with people in a community and helping people make the most of the internet.”