To help small businesses effectively market themselves and sell online, Microsoft Office Live Small Business launched new features and enhancements to its Web service. New features include Store Manager, an e-commerce tool to help small businesses easily sell products on their own Web site and on eBay; and E-mail Marketing beta, to make sending e-mail newsletters and promotions simple and affordable.

    Despite consumers' growing tendency to search for products and services online, about half of the small businesses in the United States with fewer than 10 employees do not have a Web site. With eight out of 10 Americans today spending as much time online as they do watching TV, small businesses could be at a disadvantage.

    Small businesses that sign up will receive a valuable set of tools and features for free, including Web hosting; rich site design capabilities; numerous productivity applications; contact management software for performing basic customer relationship management; and custom domain name registration with 100 business e-mail accounts. This release is also compatible with the Firefox 2.0 Web browser, making the service accessible on both Macs and PCs.

    "Today having a professional Web site is as essential to running a small business as having business cards," said Baris Cetinok, director of product management and marketing for Microsoft Office Live Small Business. "By making it simple and affordable to develop and maintain a Web site, and offering user-friendly sales and marketing features, Office Live Small Business provides a one-stop shop to help small businesses easily take, promote and manage their businesses online."

    Cetinok also points out that once small businesses have a Web site, they do not always take advantage of online marketing techniques to drive traffic and sales. "We design our features specifically with the needs of small businesses in mind," Cetinok states. "Our Store Manager e-commerce tool, our e-mail marketing feature, and the updated adManager search marketing tool are user-friendly and low cost, and work together."

    Although it is designed to be an easy "do-it-yourself" service, Office Live Small Business also provides customers with access to designers and developers with helpful "do-it-for-me" solutions. From Web designers who can produce rich, sophisticated Web sites to developers who create custom applications for specific industry verticals and much more, third-party partners can help Office Live Small Business customers get the most from the service.

Among the enhancements:
    - Store Manager is a hosted e-commerce service that enables users to easily sell products on their own Web site and on eBay.
    - Advanced Web design capabilities, including the ability to customize the entire page, as well as the header, footer, navigation, page layouts and more.
    - Round-the-clock customer support. Small-business owners are often on the job around the clock, and so is the Office Live Small Business support team.
    - Support for Firefox 2.0 means Office Live Small Business tools and features are now compatible with Macs.
    - A simplified sign-up process allows small-business owners to get started quickly. Users no longer have to choose a domain name at sign up or enter their credit card.
    - Synchronization with Microsoft Office Outlook provides customers with access to vital business information such as their Office Live Small Business e-mail, contacts, and calendars, both online and offline.