Published 23rd March
In the space of just a month (March) US directory publisher Dex One (DexKnows.com) announced what I would consider two progressive online partnerships – Is this a sign of things to come to help them develop their fixed online ambitions?
The first gives them Depth – a deal with Yelp, the second Distribution – a deal with CitySearch.
This is what was released:
YELP
Dex One Corporation, leading provider of marketing services and solutions for local businesses, today announced it has signed an agreement with Yelp (yelp.com), the fastest growing local business review site, to provide consumer feedback on its local search sites.
Dex One will be integrating the new content – ratings and reviews written by the Yelp community – on DexKnows.com(R) (www.dexknows.com) later this month. The Yelp-branded content will appear within individual DexKnows.com local business listings and complement the existing user-generated content already provided by regular DexKnows.com users.
“Merging this robust consumer feedback on one site allows consumers to more easily see how others rank a business before deciding if that business is right for their specific needs,” said Sean Greene, senior vice president of interactive, Dex One. “And for our approximately 500,000 local business clients, adding content from Yelp – the leading local guide in real world word-of-mouth content – helps them better engage with their prospects and customers.”
DexKnows.com includes a feature that allows Dex One clients to access the site’s secure Account Management System (AMS) and directly respond to consumers’ comments – thus encouraging communication between businesses and their customers and fostering stronger, more successful business relationships.
“The Yelp community is made up of passionate locals who write about their experiences with neighborhood businesses,” said Geoff Donaker, chief operating officer, Yelp. “Our relationship with Dex One enables these yelpers to share their experiences with the millions of consumers and local businesses who rely on DexKnows.com.”
CITYSEARCH
Dex One Corporation (NYSE: DEXO), a leading provider of marketing services and solutions for local businesses, today announced a distribution agreement with Citysearch, an operating business of IAC (NASDAQ: IACI).
Dex One advertisers will now have the option to have their listings appear across CityGrid, the largest content and ad network for local, as well as DexKnows.com(R), Dex One’s popular online local search site. As a result, Dex One advertisers will be able to expand their online presence and increase opportunities to drive high-quality consumer leads.
“Partnering with an industry leader like Citysearch underscores our commitment to giving local businesses maximum online reach and multiple ways to capture leads,” said Sean Greene, senior vice president interactive, Dex One. “Enabling our advertisers’ content-rich DexKnows.com listings to appear on Citysearch is part of our ongoing effort to help local businesses get found wherever people are searching online.”
This agreement expands Dex One’s online distribution network of industry-leading partner sites by giving local businesses exposure across CityGrid. CityGrid connects millions of local businesses with 140 million unique users across the Web by distributing high quality local content to publishers.
“Whether it’s driving new customers to our advertisers from major search sites like DexKnows.com or mobile applications, CityGrid is about delivering local businesses the highest quality leads for the best value,” said Jay Herratti, CEO, Citysearch. “For over 15 years, Citysearch has helped small businesses gain exposure on our websites, and now we’re helping small businesses gain exposure across the web.”
