Small business websites in Murcia and Spain: where they stand in 2026

Most Spanish companies with ten or more employees now have a website: 84.5% nationally and 78.2% in the Region of Murcia, according to the latest INE survey (first quarter of 2025). Among micro-businesses with fewer than ten employees the picture is very different: only 37% of those connected to the internet have a website at all. And having a site is not the same as having one that brings in work. Most of the small-business sites I review in Murcia are outdated, hide their prices and speak only Spanish, in a region where many customers do not.

What do the official numbers say?

The figures come from the INE's annual survey on ICT use and e-commerce in companies, published in October 2025 with data for the first quarter of 2025:

• 84.5% of Spanish companies with 10+ employees and an internet connection have a website, up 2.7 points in a year.
• In the Region of Murcia the same figure is 78.2%, about six points below the national average.
• Among companies with fewer than 10 employees, 37.0% of those with internet access have a website, up from 33.2% a year earlier.
• Only 8.6% of micro-businesses sell online.
• 13.4% of micro-businesses already use some form of artificial intelligence, and 21.1% of larger ones do.

Source: INE, Survey on ICT and e-commerce use in companies, 2024 – Q1 2025.

The other big factor of the last few years is Kit Digital, the EU-funded programme that paid for websites and other digital tools for small businesses. By the end of August 2026 it had granted more than 938,000 subsidies worth over €3.69 billion, and websites were one of its most requested solutions (PYMES Magazine, with Red.es data). It explains why so many small businesses got a website at once, and why so many of those sites look alike.

What do I see when I review local business websites?

The following is not a statistic but what keeps coming up when I look at the sites of service businesses around Murcia, Cartagena, Torre-Pacheco and the Mar Menor:

• No prices, not even a range. The visitor has to call to find out whether it is €300 or €3,000, and many simply don't.
• Spanish only. The coast has a large English-speaking population and many foreign visitors. A Spanish-only site sends them to the competitor who answers in English.
• Out-of-date information. Old opening hours, a phone number that no longer works, a "news" section last updated three years ago.
• Slow on mobile. Template sites built in a hurry, with heavy sliders and dozens of plugins, that take several seconds to show anything on a phone.
• Forms that go nowhere. Contact forms sending to an inbox nobody reads, or not sending at all.
• Nothing for machines to read. No structured data, no clear statement of services and area, so search engines and AI assistants cannot tell what the business does or where.

Why don't owners update their websites?

When I ask, the reasons are remarkably consistent:

1. "Our customers come by word of mouth." True for many, and it hides the people who looked, didn't find an answer and went elsewhere. You never see them.
2. A bad previous experience. A site built quickly, often with a subsidy, that never brought an enquiry. The conclusion becomes "websites don't work" rather than "that website didn't".
3. No idea what it should cost. Prices online range from €300 to €30,000, so owners postpone the decision.
4. No time. Writing texts and choosing photos lands on the owner, who already does everything else.
5. Fear of breaking what exists. Losing the Google position, the domain or the emails. It is a valid fear, and with redirects done properly, an avoidable one.

What are they losing?

• Enquiries outside working hours. Most searches for a plumber, a clinic or a reform happen in the evening, on a phone. Without a clear answer and a way to contact you at that moment, the enquiry goes to whoever has one.
• Foreign customers. On the Murcia coast, an English version is often the cheapest way to open a new market.
• Recommendations from AI assistants. People increasingly ask ChatGPT or Gemini "who can renovate a bathroom in Cartagena". Those assistants recommend businesses whose websites and profiles say clearly what they do, where and for how much.
• Trust. An outdated site suggests an outdated business, even when the work itself is excellent.

What could a small business have instead?

None of this requires a big budget:

• A fast, bilingual site of five to ten pages that answers the questions customers actually ask.
• Prices or price ranges, so the people who contact you already accept them.
• WhatsApp click-to-chat and a short form that lands where someone will see it.
• Online booking for businesses that work by appointment.
• A complete Google Business Profile, linked from the site, with real photos and reviews.
• Simple automation: an instant reply to every enquiry, a reminder before each appointment, a review request after each job.

Where should you start?

1. Search for your own service and town on your phone, in Spanish and in English, and see what a customer sees.
2. Check that your opening hours, phone and address are correct everywhere: site, Google profile, social networks.
3. Add prices or ranges to your main services.
4. Make sure your contact form and WhatsApp link actually reach you, tonight, from a phone.
5. If the site fails most of these, consider whether a redesign or a rebuild makes more sense.

If you want a second opinion, our free project audit on the home page reviews exactly these points and sends a written report.

FAQ

How many small businesses in Spain have a website?

According to the INE, 37% of companies with fewer than ten employees that have internet access have a website (Q1 2025). Among companies with ten or more employees, the figure is 84.5% nationally and 78.2% in the Region of Murcia.

Is a website still necessary if I have Instagram and Google Maps?

Social profiles help, but you do not control them, they rarely show prices or detailed services, and AI assistants rely heavily on websites to understand what a business does. A small, clear website ties all your profiles together.

How much does it cost to update an old small-business website?

A redesign of an existing site usually costs between €1,500 and €5,500, and a compact new starter site from €1,200. You can see what each option includes on our capabilities and pricing page.