Google Introduces New Hosted Site Search

Small businesses can now get customized Google-powered search boxes for as little as $100.

For less than the price of one share of Google’s coveted stock, small business owners can now buy their very own implementations of the company’s search algorithm for their business Web sites. Google recently announced hosted search for small businesses which is hosted on their Custom Search. This gives a new option for small businesses wanting to implement a reliable search without ponying up $1,995 for the Google Search appliance.

The search-engine giant is targeting commercial sites with non-existent or inferior search capabilities that would be willing to upgrade to Google’s search capabilities for a  reasonable fee. Customers can pay $100 to have Google index up to 5,000 pages on a company Web site, which will then be accessible through a search box that can be added anywhere on the site and customized to fit the style of the page. An upgraded version of the search that will handle 50,000 pages now runs for $500.

"Millions of businesses have a web presence but offer users no ability to search their site," said Dave Girouard, vice president and general manager of Google Enterprise, in a statement. "While many of these businesses invest in search advertising and search engine optimization to help customers find their business, customers are left on their own to navigate content once they land on a site.”

For personal homepages and small businesses that can’t afford the fee, Google continues to offer a free version of their hosted search, which also displays Google-selected advertisements.