Google has launched Google Custom Search Business Edition, which is focused on small businesses who want to add Google search to their Web sites.
“Millions of businesses have a web presence but offer users no ability to search their site,” said Dave Girouard, vice president and general manager, Google Enterprise.
“While many of these businesses invest in search advertising and search engine optimization to help customers find their business, customers are left on their own to navigate content once they land on a site. As Google continues to make search technology more accessible to businesses of all sizes — first with our appliances and now with hosted search services — we are reducing the hurdles of cost, complexity and time so that small businesses can help customers find what they need every step of the way.”
Google Custom Search Business Edition includes customized search results using an XML API provided by Google. Users can decide if they want to include ads in search results, Google is also offering email and phone support and reporting features that provide insight into visitors behavior.
Custom Search Business Edition starts for $100 a year for searching up5,000 pages and is also available for $500 a year and covers 50,000 pages. Larger amounts of pages are supported through Google’s enterprise sales group.
“The number of referrals generated to our homeowner base has increased by approximately 30 percent, and at the same time, the number of customer service requests has also significantly decreased,” said Andy Steggles, president of Holiday Home Rental, an online directory of 25,000 holiday rental homes with more than 150,000 pages of content.
“The results have been overwhelming. The newly implemented Google search tool truly enriches the user experience by giving them the power to simply think and type their search parameters, which propels them to a more accurate and meaningful result set.”
