News Ltd joins the search business, www.truelocal.com.au Options

[sanity]

Global media giant News Ltd has launched a local online search directory which will compete with Telstra's Sensis website.

Article here.
Search engine here.

Interesting news. I did not see too much relevance in my first few searches but it is early days.

There's a true local in the states. Anyone know if they're affiliated?

[travis]

Thanks Sophie.

It looks like Yellow Pages (ie a localised paid search engine)

Fantastic idea though.

If you charged 1/4 of what Yellow Pages charge, you would still make a killing.

At Yellow Pages, they are very dismissive because they know some businesses rely heavily on them for business, so they dont think they have to service their clients as much.

The phone calls our company receives ask us to join their online directory for $500 per month. We always read them some stats and then they go away.

They charge like wounded bulls.

On another note, I wonder why these sites never give out natural links ???

If we are going to pay to be included, we at least want a healthy backlink.

This post has been edited by travis: Jan 30 2006, 02:05 AM

[sanity]

If you charged 1/4 of what Yellow Pages charge, you would still make a killing.

That's one of the first thoughts that came to my mind too.

For smaller mon and pop type clients some of the figures Yellow Pages quote can be spent so much better elsewhere.

In addition I don't particularly like the YP search - it's never that accurate.

> Natural Link
That one really get's my goat.

Will be interesting to see what TrueLocal do eh.

[nuthin]

-edited- didn't see that travis already covered the ugly url's and unfriendly se programming that truelocal gives to the "business profile" listings it lists.
this really put me off from submitting our clients, as they wouldn't benefit from the "indirect" benefits of being listed on an eventual authority domain that truelocal is likely to become.

on another note News Ltd has good se friendly urls on homesite one of there other web properties.. so they should hopefully on truelocal sometime.

This post has been edited by nuthin: Jan 30 2006, 10:44 PM

[bakedjake]

Anyone know if they're affiliated?

No, they are not.

News Limited was made aware of TrueLocal’s existence and expansion plans for Australia in 2006 prior to the launch of their service, but decided to proceed despite the obvious brand confusion. TrueLocal will be taking all appropriate steps to protect our brand in Australia and worldwide.

This post has been edited by bakedjake: Jan 31 2006, 10:02 AM

[sanity]

Welcome bakedjake

Now why doesn't News Ltd's behavior surprise me. Good luck in your actions, seems pretty cut and dried to me.

As an aside, when you do launch here (AU) please let us know.

This post has been edited by sanity: Jan 31 2006, 04:04 PM

[randfish]

Hey Jake - great to see you around cre8asite. Good luck enforcing your trademark, I suspect you may need it.