AT&T's two Web hosting services, Get Me Started and Build It For Me, are aimed at cost-conscious businesses looking to make a more professional, and affordable, splash with their company Website.
Communications giant AT&T announced Web hosting and
design plans aimed at boosting the company Websites of small to medium-size
businesses. The Get Me Started and Build It For Me plans are designed to
help small businesses with what they need in their Website building efforts,
according to the company.
Starting at $42.50 a month, the Get Me Started plan helps
businesses get a professionally designed Website up and running while
still
allowing them control over their content through a Do-It-Yourself
design tool.
This solution offers customers both a three- and five-page option for
their
initial site. Once management of the site is turned over, small
business owners
will have access to online video tutorials on how they can implement
more
updates on their own. The Build It For Me plan starts at $95 per month
and
allows customers to let AT&T design experts build, host and design
their Website with five-, 10- and 15-page options. With Enhanced Web
Hosting, users
can further explore maximizing search engine rankings and using
Internet
marketing tools.
AT&T has also set up a Website for its Web hosting
offering. Along with pricing information, a variety of plans, services and
marketing tips can be combined to create a unique Web solution for small businesses.
A 10 percent discount is available on these two new bundles for existing
AT&T customers who already have AT&T High-Speed Internet, U-verse,
AT&T Managed Internet Service or AT&T TechSupport 360.
"The competition is fierce in our industry and having a
reliable, safe and compelling Web presence allows us to stand out," said Tyron
Jones, owner of Lindsey Security Firm. "The Web Hosting services by AT&T
enabled us to get a smart and effective Website up which resulted in increased
awareness of our firm and expanded business across other states."
According to research from Webvisible and Nielsen, 63
percent of consumers and small business owners first look to the Internet for
information about local companies but surprisingly, only 44 percent of small
businesses have a Website. For small companies with limited design
capabilities, time and budget, it can be difficult to design and maintain a
valuable Web presence.
AT&T argues that the proliferation of technologies such
as interactive multimedia assets (video and images) and social media
has become
increasingly prevalent and has set a new standard in business sites
today.
AT&T Web Hosting helps small business owners to concentrate on
running
their business while relying on AT&T experts to create a
functional, search-engine-friendly Website that reflects the small
business' personality and
business needs.
"A strong, well-designed and easy-to-find online presence
for a small business is important because it builds customer trust and expands
customer reach," said Ebrahim Keshavarz, vice president of small business
product management for AT&T. "With the option to review their Website's
effectiveness each month, small business owners can make sure that their site
is working as hard as possible for them while keeping their customers
interested and engaged with fresh content."
Nathan Eddy is Associate Editor, Midmarket, at eWEEK.com. Before joining eWEEK.com, Nate was a writer with ChannelWeb and he served as an editor at FierceMarkets. He is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.