MERSEYSIDE has a reputation for the energy and enthusiasm of its people.

These are certainly the qualities we at Google have seen in abundance over the last two months during our Getting Liverpool Business Online campaign.

We have been struck by the determination of local entrepreneurs to seize the opportunities that the internet is bringing. And they are right.

Independent research by Boston Consulting has shown that small businesses online grow four to eight times faster than those that are not on the web.

That is hardly a surprise when 17p in every pound is spent online – a figure which is growing by the month.

That is why it is so worrying that four out of ten small businesses in the UK still don’t have a website and are missing out on all the opportunities it brings.

There’s a common misconception that setting up a website is too expensive or too complicated. In reality, websites can be free and easy to create and maintain – and this is what we wanted to bring to Merseyside.

We decided to pilot our campaign here because the statistics showed the city lagged behind in its business take-up of the internet, and we wanted to help put that right.

We also wanted to learn what we could do to help businesses in Liverpool. As much as we wanted to teach local business owners how easy it is to get online, because this is the first time we’ve ever done anything like this, we had much to learn, too.

We believe our time spent in Liverpool has been a huge success. Through our Juice Bars and e-skills workshops, we have already met over 700 local businesses, from photographers and personal trainers to software developers and hotel owners.

Merseyside has taught us that tenacity in business during tough economic times is crucial; we’ve also learnt that giving businesses face- to-face time to discuss the individual barriers and challenges facing them has made a big difference in how they proceed online.

We will be putting what we have learnt into practice as we roll out our campaign across the country. But first we want to step up help here in Merseyside to ensure local companies are using the internet for business.

This week is Global Entrepreneurship Week. With a number of events taking place across Merseyside this month, both as part of our campaign and the week as a whole, we encourage individuals to make the most of this opportunity, to learn about business and getting online and to lead the way as digital champions for the UK.

PETER BARRON is director of external relations at Google for Europe, Middle East and Africa