Due to the large number of small to medium Australian businesses without an online presence Google's SME Business Leader Claire Hatton said; "We want to address this gap by removing common barriers like cost and time to set up a website. We also want to make it easier for Australians to find the information they're looking for online".
But there's still no such thing as a free website - after the first year a $5/month fee will be charged.
MYOB chief Tim Reed said that they will be able to sign up 50,000 businesses this year.
How much does a free website really cost?
The cost needs to be viewed in terms of the marketing value of a no-frills 3 page website.- What will prospects and customers think about your business when they see it?
- Will search engines effectively index your site?
- Will you have time to keep the information up to date?
- Is it able to turn prospects into customers?
By all means have a go, but don't be disappointed if you build it and no-one comes.
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Comments
It’s a little like saying that you can run your business finances 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://creativeintersection.com/Media