If you’re a small business in Ireland looking to grow your online presence, you might just be in luck. With the Government’s Trading Online Voucher Scheme you could receive a grant of up to €2,500 to help develop your digital platforms. This can finance anything from your web design and digital marketing to your online graphic design and social media, and can also be used to add payment facilities or booking systems to your website. You can choose how you use it (within reason), making it a useful chunk of money to have!
So, how exactly does the Government’s website design grant work?
What is the Trading Online Voucher Scheme?
Firstly, the official name of the grant is the Trading Online Voucher. It is part of the Government’s National Digital Strategy and is administered by your Local Enterprise Office (LEO).
Designed to allow small businesses to grow their company online, its key aim is to help businesses boost their sales, reach new markets, and increase their online trading. It acknowledges that it can be costly to establish an online business (web design, digital marketing, and social media costs quickly add up).
By offering financial assistance, it hopes to make online trading more affordable for small businesses based in Ireland.
What’s included in the Trading Online Voucher?
As we’ve mentioned, the Trading Online Voucher includes a €2,500 grant to be used on website development (including web design, graphic design and website content creation), digital marketing, and social media.
It’s important to note that the voucher is not a straightforward, flat-amount grant. The grant is given out on a matched basis with the business. Your LEO will fund 50% of your online development costs (up to a total €2,500 contribution) and your business will fund the other 50%. This means that if you want to spend €5000 on your website, you will receive the full €2,500. If you want to spend more, you’ll need to cover the extra cost yourself.
It also comes with training opportunities and impartial advice on trading online to help your business best use this financial assistance. You’ll have the chance to learn about topics like developing a website and search engine optimisation.
What are the conditions of the Trading Online Voucher Scheme?
To get the €2,500 online business grant, your company needs to meet some criteria. This is so the Government can ensure the vouchers are fulfilling their intended purpose — to help small companies needing an online boost. To qualify for a Trading Online Voucher, businesses must conform to the following:
- 10 employees or less
- Turnover less than €2m
- Limited or non-existent e-commerce presence
- Trading for at least 6 months
- Business should be based in a specific LEO’s area (and apply to that office)
Conditions of the Trading Online Voucher include:
- Approval for the voucher is required before the business incurs any expense
- Own labour is not an eligible expense
- Third party costs may be considered but all invoices must contain proper business details
- The voucher can’t be used for anything other than online trading related activity
For more information on the voucher, see this information from the LEO. You should also contact your specific area’s LEO to apply for the grant.
Effective web design from Printing.com & Nettl Athlone
If you’ve recently received a Government Website Design Grant and are ready to bring your business into the online marketplace, see how we can help you. At Printing.com & Nettl Athlone, we’re experts in website design and SEO. We’d be pleased to help your business on its online journey with the help of the Trading Online Voucher Scheme.
See our guide to the Website Development Grant or contact us today!