bCentral Offers Web Hosting, Auction Services

Among the small business services available at bCentral, Microsoft now offers a complete do-it-yourself package that enables businesses to set up and maintain a Web site. In addition to hosting of the Web site by Microsoft, the US$40 per month price tag for the new Site Manager service covers e-commerce order management software, including a “shopping cart.” Credit-card processing is extra. The service requires no HTML coding; it is a browser-based solution that supplies templates for building the Web pages. Separately, bCentral is now also offering an auction service targeted at small business owners.

bCentral currently targets companies ranging from SOHO, or mom-and-pop operations, to those with up to 20 employees. It offers services in three areas: getting started on the Web; online marketing; and tools to help run the business. While these services are available separately, Microsoft touts the advantages of easy integration. A client can use the LinkExchange Banner Network, for example, to create banner ads for a site newly built with Site Manager. (For more on bCentral marketing services, see “Pay-Per-Click Affiliate Program Discontinued“.)