Called Custom Search Engine Business Edition, the service offers the same custom search facility available for end-user consumers, but delivers no ads and lets each business ad cusomised enhancements like e-commerce functions.
Google said it would charge businesses $100 per year for an entry-level offering that would let users search through up to 5,000. Larger web sites would pay $500 for a search capability of up to 50,000 pages.
Google already offers custom search for businesses, but through a high-performance hybrid hardware/software solution – and priced in the thousands of dollars.
The existing custom search offerings have been targeted at the large businesses and corporations, where its new software-only search is squarely focused on the mass-market small business opportunity.
The Custom Search Engine Business Edition includes an XML-based application programming interface (API) that lets customers customise the service – like tailoring the results page to include a company logo rather than Google’s. The API also lets tailored e-commerce solutions to be built into the search results page.
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