The Minister for the Economy, Investment and Small Business, Chris Cardona today presided over the official launch of the Malta Business Book, a new online business directory aimed at giving Maltese companies a boost in international markets.

The Malta Business Book, which is being backed internationally by the Ministry for the Economy, Investment and Small Business and Business First, is a website operated by Web Matters Limited,  and lists hundreds of companies who collectively offer thousands of different products and services.

Minister Cardona said that there is something special about doing this together; “It’s a collective effort to put Malta on the map, and reinforces the Malta brand – a country serious about business success”.

Minister Cardona said that we should never forget the reasons why Malta is the place to do business and that we should not tire of repeating our offer portraying Malta as a reputable location, having a pro-enterprise culture, a sound legal system and regulation that is robust but also flexible.

For a small annual subscription fee organisations of all sizes can create a profile on Malta Business Book highlighting their fields of expertise, making the website a sort of who’s who of businesses in Malta.

Each company profile contains images, videos, written descriptions, social media links and a variety of contact information.

Web Matters director Robert Grech explained that: “Maltese businesses have a lot to offer overseas and we are trying to help them get a foot in the door”.

The Malta Business Book has two main aims to serve as a resource for organisations and individuals who are relocating to or investing in Malta and to promote local enterprises that are looking to do business, supply products or offer services overseas.

Mr Grech said that: “These objectives will be achieved through carefully targeted marketing in Malta, Europe and further afield in those countries where we feel Maltese companies have the best chance of doing business”.

Apart from marketing, the website has been specifically search engine optimised to ensure it ranks high up for a large number of key words and phrases. This will ensure that the site achieves high levels of organic traffic.

“Our objective is to open the doors for Maltese businesses to expand, not just locally, but into markets which they may not have considered before,” Mr Grech added.

“Doing so alone can be daunting and cost-prohibitive but reaching out collectively like this can be hugely effective,” Mr Grech concluded.