Weave Your Web
Tools for boosting your web presence
In February, Microsoft Office Live Small Business launched new features and revamped others, helping not-so-tech-savvy entrepreneurs get online, reach customers and then manage it all. Set up an e-mail marketing campaign (free while in beta) or use AdManager (now out of beta and featuring pay-per-click pricing) to launch a keyword advertising campaign across the Windows Live and Ask.com networks. Retailers can set up e-commerce on their websites or sell through eBay with the Store Manager tool ($39.95 a month); however, OLSB must host the site to use this feature.
Aside from Homestead.com's Storefront e-commerce solution (starting at $24.99 a month), Homestead offers three advertising options. SearchLight (starting at $30 a month) is a comprehensive keyword advertising service, and it doesn't require a Homestead-hosted site. Similar to the Yellow Pages, Homestead Directory ($99 a year) lists businesses in various categories--and sees thousands of visitors a day. And the brand-new Local Listings service ($99 a year) is for listing local businesses on sites like Google Maps, Superpages.com and Yahoo Local.
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Yahoo Small Business' services are broken down by need so you get exactly what you pay for: web hosting, e-mail, e-commerce or advertising. Yahoo Merchant Solutions (starting at $39.95 a month) lets users manage up to 50,000 products and streamline shipping with UPS Online Tools.