Google, MYOB give SMBs a brief free ride

Google and MYOB have joined together in an attempt to get small business online, by offering to create and host a new website for a short time for free.

The sites, which are created using information entered into Google and MYOB's Getting Aussie Business Online site, will be simple and as similar in format as people's Facebook pages are, according to Google, just getting the basic information out there.

Businesses can make the sites their own by uploading images and putting in their details, such as address, opening times, product details and other information. They can also connect their sites to social media sites.

The businesses will be able to take advantage of the free site for a year, after which they can either cancel it or pay $5 a month to keep the website.

The companies will register a .com.au domain name for free as well, which expires after two years if not renewed for a cost of $30.

Google is also offering a $75 AdWords voucher for those who want to try advertising.

The websites will be built using MYOB's Atlas and will be hosted in Australia using third-party hosting, according to Google.

The companies are aiming to have 50,000 businesses respond to their free website offer.

"Australians go online first to research local products and services," Google's head of Local Business Claire Hatton said in a statement. "Every day in Australia there are 12,000 Google searches for builders, but fewer than one in four businesses in the construction and trade industry has a website. We want to address this gap by removing common barriers like cost and time to set up a website."