Wayne N. Kawamoto
Managing Editor, www.smallbusinesscomputing.com
LookSmart announced a new offering, designed to enhance its LookListings Small Business product suite. According to the company, its new product, called Small Business Listings, should help growing online direct marketers receive qualified leads to their Web site, increase the likelihood that leads will convert into customers, and let them pay for the traffic on a per-click basis. The new product may also allow budget-conscious advertisers to control their spending without requiring them to participate in an auction.
With Small Business Listings, growing merchants may be able to promote their Web sites in searches across LookSmart’s entire distribution network of affiliate partners, which includes Microsoft’s MSN, AltaVista, Netscape, Ask Jeeves, InfoSpace, Prodigy and Juno. LookSmart says it provides a high-quality layer of commercial and noncommercial search results on portals, ISPs and search engines, improving users’ search experience by connecting them to information, goods and services that meet their specific needs. LookSmart includes non-commercial sites in its directory free of charge.
“This initiative allows us to provide a better directory by having an active, ongoing relationship with each commercial site,” said Jason Kellerman, chief operating officer for LookSmart. “When a small business pays by the click for the leads they receive, they take an active interest in making sure their listing is accurate and the information is up-to-date. LookListings Small Business lets us align the interests of the advertiser with those of the user, creating a rewarding search experience.”
Small Business Listings is the latest addition to LookListings Small Business, a suite of products and services that enable online businesses to promote their Web sites across the LookSmart Network, which may reach an audience of up to 81 million users each month. Current LookSmart Submit and Site Promote customers will automatically be upgraded to the new Small Business Listings product.
