Small businesses hoping to make waves in today’s digital economy are sending out leaky canoes in a race against powerboats, according to a recent report.

The Score Association (Herndon, VA), released figures showing only 51 percent of small businesses have Websites, despite the fact that 97 percent of consumers search for products and services online.

Of the small businesses that did have Websites, 82 percent were not using social media, 70 percent provided no call-for-action to encourage spending, 93.3 percent were not compatible with mobile devices, and 27 percent didn’t even include a phone number to reach the business.

The disconnect between small firms and the growing number of consumers who vet bricks-and-mortar businesses based on their online presence could be keeping entrepreneurs from millions of customers.

It varies by industry, but the number of people in the United States who shop online is around 75 million. If a company or a small business doesn’t have an online presence, they are missing a huge percentage of the population that could be shopping at their store.

In general, some entrepreneurs shy away from Internet commerce and technology because they lack Web savvy and are content to stick to the craft or service that allowed them to set up shop in the first place. There are people who established their business 30 to 40 years ago, and not only do they not have Websites, many of them are not accepting credit card payment.

The Score survey also found that 91 percent of consumers who have a positive experience on a small company’s Website end up visiting the business.