You may have heard that Google and MYOB have partnered to help small businesses that do not yet have a website to set one up for free.

The companies claim 50,000 businesses can have a functioning website up and running – including domain name – in just 15 minutes by enrolling at www.gettingbusinessonline.com.au.

We had a look and concluded that for businesses that do not yet have a web presence, this is a good start.

So our verdict is that this is a decent offer.

The templates are simple but clean, and sufficient to present your brand in a professional manner. They can accommodate photos, Google Maps and plug-ins to social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. The sites are designed for do-it-yourself updates.

The image below is an example of the sites.

If you like that look, after a year it will cost only $5 a month to continue to have a site hosted by MYOB which, by the way, has a burgeoning hosting business in MYOB Atlas besides their better-known accounting packages.

Google’s contribution to the deal means businesses receive $75 worth of free AdWords credit and potentially a life-long advertising relationship with the search giant. The initiative comes after MYOB released a study in February showing, incredibly, that only 35 per cent of Australian small and medium businesses have a website.

“Over half of business owners believe the internet is critical for marketing and promotion. However it would appear that businesses are missing out on a number of opportunities online,” the report said.

Have you chosen not to have a website? Does this offer tempt you? Tell us in the comments below.