ITWire

But where the MYOB/Google alliance's Getting Aussie Business Online is free for the first year and $5 per month thereafter, Optus My BizOnline has a similar base fee structure ($5.95 per month, waived for the first year for Optus business customers) for the basic My SiteOnline, it also involved a 'performance fee' based on the number of phone calls generated for the business.

The fee is $1.50 per phone call. That's an interesting move, as it implies a rather different view of 'success' than many small businesses might choose.

It also adds a level of complication in that a new phone number is assigned to each site in order to collect this fee. So businesses will need to ensure that all customers know the 'real' phone number to avoid the risk of being repeatedly charged the success fee on all subsequent calls.

It is mandatory to show the new phone number on the site.

Still, "Our research shows 74 per cent of Australian small businesses identify with the value of being online but are still being held back by time and administrative pressures," said Michael Smith, managing director of marketing, Optus said.

Anther interesting aspect of the service is that the site setup isn't self-service.

Rather, potential users call Optus and provide details of their businesses to a "My BizOnline consultant."

Optus also plans to offer a fully-managed Google AdWords service to My SiteOnline customers.

Like Getting Aussie Business Online, My BizOnline includes a domain name. Furthermore, a mobile-optimised site is produced as well as a conventional one.