By Brad Segall

WILMINGTON, Del. (CBS) - Businesses in Delaware who have been slow to make the move to the Internet can take advantage of a year-long program designed to increase the number of small businesses on the web.

Google is partnering up with some local organizations to kick off Delaware Get Your Business Online. The program is designed to help drive economic growth by providing business owners with the tools they need to establish a website, find new customers, and grow their business.

Google’s Soo Young Kim says an online presence is critical.

“Our research shows that 97-percent of consumers are looking for local products and services online which doesn’t surprise us, however, 58 percent of small businesses in the U.S. do not have a website.”

She says Google is teaming up with Intuit to provide information on easy to build websites, a customized domain name and web hosting free for a year. The kickoff takes place today at the Delaware Center for Contemporary Arts in Wilmington.