Google, MYOB getting Aussie business online for free
- 01 March, 2011 11:35
- Comments 4
Google and MYOB join forces for Getting Aussie Business Online
Google and MYOB have teamed up to launch a new service designed to help local businesses get online with a free website, domain name and $75 worth of advertising credits.
Getting Aussie Business Online (www.gettingbusinessonline.com.au) is a joint venture between the search giant and accounting software maker.
The two companies have scheduled a press event in Sydney on Tuesday, 2 March, but the website is already online, albeit incomplete. The website is hosted by Google.
Getting Aussie Business Online will offer local businesses a free “easy-to-update” website for one year, a free .com.au domain for two years (a standard registration period), a $75 AdWords trial with “expert phone support” and “ongoing tips and education”.
“A website today is like a phone - every business needs one. If you don’t have one, now is the perfect time to Web Up,” is the slogan for the new service.
“Google and MYOB have come together to create Getting Aussie Business Online. We’re taking the time, hassle and cost out of getting a website so that you can get on with running your business.”
The website features a video demonstration which is still marked as “private” at time of writing.
To get a free website, business owners need to fill in the business details form with the business ABN and phone number and choose a website address (URL).
Once an account is created the website will be hosted on Google’s or MYOB’s infrastructure.
Getting Aussie Business Online also has options for businesses not yet ready for a website, including “tips and tools” and links to Google’s free map listing service, Google Places.
For businesses that already have a website, promotional tools are also being spruiked.
To talk up the benefits of having a website, Getting Aussie Business Online has a showcase of existing Google AdWords customers, including a number of YouTube videos.
In 2008 MYOB acquired Web hosting provider SmartyHost so the Google partnership is another move away from its core accounting software business.
Follow Rodney Gedda on Twitter: @rodneygedda
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Comments
jim
Rodney ,
Check out the link www.gettingussiebusinessesonline.com.au it goes to http://www.ventraip.com.au/
You obviously got the link wrong!
james
This is a scam. They have listed all of these testimonials as Success Stories but they are not actually using the service.
Here is an example:
http://www.gettingbusinessonline.com.au/stories/37002
If you look at his website WWW.BENSPLUMBING.COM.AU and go the bottom right hand corner you can see it is hosted on wordpress and also whois shows it is hosted by onthewaytotheweb.com.au not myob or google.
How can they show success stories when they are not their customers?
Ian Exaudi (Creative Intersection)
Whilst I do agree with the assertion that almost every business needs to be online (far to few are) and that it shouldn’t cost the Earth to do so ... I also feel it prudent to remind business owners that you generally get what you pay for with "free" template business websites.
It’s a little like saying that you can run your business using an Excel spreadsheet (I did for a year or so as a single-operator myself). Sure you can, but MYOB’s 1 Million plus customers realise that this isn’t the best way to do things either.
Same thing with the "free" websites being offered here and other places ... They will get your business online just fine but they may not represent your brand/business very well or you may outgrow them quite quickly.
Don’t be afraid to try the free stuff though ... and if/when it becomes necessary then look for a more professional solution to suit your needs.
A simple small-business website built by a professional who takes the time to understand your needs often costs somewhere in the $1K to $2K range. That’s a good price to pay for a good branding and marketing tool.
I had this conversation with MYOB’s Tim Reed and Tony Palmer from C4 a couple of weeks ago on Sky News Business channel’s "Technology Behind Business".
We all have slightly different points of view but there might be some good ideas in it that are appropriate to your small business, if you have a few minutes to watch the discussion.
http://www.youtube.com/CreativeIntersection
Steve
Good pick up James! When you look at the website gallery examples and compare them with the success stories you can see that their websites involved professionals and other technologies (maybe they are just promoting being on the net as a "success story" rather than using the MYOB tool provided). The website gallery doesn't look any better than just using Google Sites (free).
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