Posts Tagged ‘Branchenbuch’
GelbeSeiten way ahead
23 Sep. 2008 | Author: “GelbeSeiten.de achieved again the highest visitor count of all German online-directories, with more than seven million visits and over 44 million page impressions in August 2008.” This was reported by GelbeSeiten Marketing GmbH in a press release.
Already this June, the portal led the online-directories, with over seven million visitors, and managed to maintain this lead in August, said the operators. The source of these figures come from the current statistics for online media usage, published by the ” Informationsgemeinschaft zur Feststellung der Verbreitung von Werbeträgern e.V. (aka IVW) in Berlin.
The IVW is an independent organization, funded by the Media, the Advertising industry and ad- and media-agencies. The body monitors and reports the expansion of advertising media, delivering data of interest to users, advertisers and competitors. Among the data published for the online-media, are the number of page views/impressions (number of users of accessed pages) as well as the sum of the single hits/visits.
Looking closer at the results published by IVW, one sees that GelbeSeiten.de in July 2008 achieved 7,060,898 visits – the most since records were started in August 2004. In August 2008, the figure dropped slightly. However, the high of 66,958,342 page views in March 2006 was far higher than the present figures.
Competitors listed by IVW can only battle to keep up. Klicktel.de in August clocked up 4,8 million visits and approximately 30 million page views. In the same period GoYellow.de managed just on 3 million visits and about 16 million page views, with Web2.0 branch-directory Qype.com showed 3,5 million hits, and almost 12,5 page views.
11880.com now with ratings from other portals
As of January this year 11880.com has been offering its users the chance to read ratings gathered from other providers or to deliver their own ratings (see our post). This Web2.0 feature has now been further expanded.
To this end, this information portal is collaborating with other portals and has combined the gathered ratings into its own web presence. A post in the company blog lists the partners in this enterprise as the information and ratings platform for drivers Autoplenum.de, the patient portal DocInsider.de, as well as gastronomy sites Hotel.de and Restaurant-Kritik.de.
Through this cooperation, the blog post states that there are at present over 80,000 ratings to be found on 11880.com. The company plans to broaden its partner base in the future.
YellowMap sets importance on local search
“Welcome to the secrets of your local world!” is the slogan greeting the users of lokaleauskunft.de on its start page. The portal is a product of YellowMap AG in Karlsruhe, which is also the operator of the online-directory YellowMap.de.
The difference between the sibling-services is not easily seen at first glance. For example, both portals offer directory search, a telephone directory, city plans, city information and a personal user area.
However the emphasis differs. Whereas YellowMap.de centers on the localized directory search, lokaleauskunft.de weighs in much more on its coverage of extensive local content for individual cities, which until now have been lacking. The new portal, still in beta-phase, is still under development. It plans, according to information provided to Lokale-Suche-Blog, to become in the medium-term an “information-source for all local information” – presumably comparable with city-pages similar to meinestadt.de. When this is to happen has not been announced.
In contrast to YellowMap.de the users of lokaleauskunft.de are as yet unable to rate or describe found service providers; this is to change soon, according to the operators of the new service. In the mean time, the city plans are more user-friendly. Here one can display results using map, satellite, hybrid or bird’s eye views, using cartographic material from Microsoft Virtual earth. Noteworthy is lokaleauskunft.de’s route planner, with which one can not only find the fastest or shortest route, but also the most economical. Additionally it also provides route plans for pedestrians and cyclists, alongside motorists
SUMAXX: meinestadt.de on top again
Every quarter, the online marketing agency Bloofusion publishes ‘SUMAXX’ – an evaluation of the search-engine spectrum covering a range of websites in various thematic areas. One of these areas is that of ‘local search’. The analysis for 2Q 2008 has recently been released.
The upshot shows meinestadt.de as the big winner. In the first quarter of 2008, this city-portal had slipped to 10th position (see our post). Now, they are back at the top. Another player to improve their position is the online-directory Gelbeseiten.de – still in place 3, but now ahead of its competitor GoYellow.de, which has slipped back 2 slots.
Improvement has been demonstrated by the local search engine suchen.de, who moved up from 7th to 5th place, and also by the telephone directory DasÖrtliche.de, who improved by one position to 8th place.
Bloofusion explains the SUMAXX-Ratings are currently offered for 5 thematic areas: local search, tourism, medicine & health, electronics and financial services. In order to evaluate these, the search engine marketing specialists submit approximately 500 differing search requests (for example, ranging from “doctor Munich” to “interest homebuilding”) to Google, MSN/Live and Yahoo! The generated results are then evaluated and rated, showing which websites in specific thematic areas predominate, whether as a consequence of search machine optimization or search engine compatibility of their algorithms.
The full report is available free from sumaxx.de.
Posted in Local Search per PC, Local Search, Studies, News, Local Search Engines | 
Tags: Bloofusion, Branchenbuch, Branchenverzeichnis, dasoertliche, Google, GoYellow, lokale Informationen, meinestadt, meinestadt.de, Städteportal, suchen.de, Suchmaschinenmarketing, SUMAXX, Verzeichnisdienst | 
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GoYellow.de expands its free basic postings
GoYellow.de is offering companies the possibility to present themselves in detail within the web branch directory, at no cost.
Undertakings and service providers can fully inform their potential clients, using the free basic posting “GoBasic”, in so far as profile, team, offerings and services, or the history of the company.
GoYellow Media AG, in a press release, detailed how GoYellow.de will be able to generate significantly more qualified content, through this improved posting. This should also jack up the value of the service and benefit its users.
The company hopes that increasing numbers of undertakings will escalate their presence to a paid level with prominent placement of their postings, as a result of the free service incentive. Addition to the prioritized position on GoYellow.de, undertakings can reserve a top-placed listing on the local ratings portal GoLocal.de, so as to publicize their offerings to an even larger internet target market.
Telegate markets Google AdWords
Telegate has announced a strategic alliance with Google. In the future, businesses represented in the Telegate’s online directories 11 88 0 and Klicktel can advertise using Google’s Pay-per-click (PPC) “AdWords“, for which the advertiser only pays when the ads are click-on by users. Telegate joins the fray in competition with other local-PPC providers such as Yahoo! or suchen.de.
As announced by the enterprise in a press release, the cooperation stands to profit above all small and medium size undertakings. This target group has historically under-utilized this marketing opportunity. Now firms signed as directory clients with Telegate can now also choose to add search engine marketing via Google. Thus, a company can have better localized and context-based access to potential clients, by registering specific keywords with the Google AdWords program, with these ads displayed in either or both the online presences of Telegate and Google.
Of course, such a deal needs to bring benefits to both the directory-provider and the search engine giant: Telegate, sees the collaboration as strengthening their position as ‘leading’ special local search provider in Germany. Google profits in turn through the experience and ‘know-how’ of the 400-strong Telegate team.
GoYellow.de displays user ratings
The internet online directory GoYellow.de provides users with much information, in addition to the customary contact details. As of the end of April 2008, many search results now offer user- posted ratings (under the link “Bewertungen” en=Ratings).
GoYellow.de has however not reinvented itself as a Web2.0 portal. The displayed feedback/ratings are not generated by other GoYellow users, but rather by users of various partner portals of the online-directory. As is to be gathered in a press announcement by the GoYellow Media AG, the displayed ratings are gleaned from the driver portal autoplenum.de, the service auction portal blauarbeit.de, gastronomy portal restaurant-kritik.de, and the local ratings community GoLocal.de (which is another service belonging to GoYellow Media AG).
Whomever wishes to air their opinion regarding artisans, restaurants, doctors or other service providers, and/or rate these, is only able to do so directly via the above partner portals.
The collaboration with blauarbeit.de also brings other advantages to users of GoYellow.de: craftspeople can bid directly on the projects posted by GoYellow.de users, for artisan or garden work. A similar service has been on offer for a while already though GoYellow, as a result of the cooperation with MyHammer.de.
Posted in Web Communities, Local Search per PC, Local Search, News |
Tags: Auskunft, Auskunftsportal, Autofahrerportal, autoplenum, blauarbeit, Branchenbuch, Branchenverzeichnis, GoLocal, GoYellow, lokale Informationen, restaurant-kritik, User Generated Content, Verzeichnisdienst, web2.0 |
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Leaner and faster: the mobile version of DasTelefonbuch
DasTelefonbuch [essentially ‘White Pages’ for Germany] recently remodelled its web-presence (see our report). The latest addition to this site is the mobile-version of this address directory.
This was announced by DasTelefonbuch-Servicegeselleschaft in a press release. The new mobile version, named DasTelefonbuchmobil.de, has been trimmed down in time for the re-/launch at the beginning of April 2008, and is thereby faster and more comfortable to use.
Searching here now is concentrated on the two main fields – Name/Telephone Number and Place. The results are now easier to scan, and can be utilized with the minimum number of clicks. Especially practical is the use of the WTAI function (Wireless Telephony Application Interface), which allows a direct interaction between the WAP-browser and the mobile device. For example, this allows for direct dial of telephone numbers, using the generated search results. Route planning is also enhanced, by allowing generated routes to display in both map and satellite views.
Also new: along with German, English, and French, the mobile service is also accessible in Turkish. Further languages are planned, according to the company.
Existing features of the first generation service have continued into the new version. For instance, it is still possible to download contact details of generated results, in vcf-format. And inverse searches are still provided for the research of a name to link to a known telephone number.
The free service functions using all WAP or internet-ready devices and providers. The system automatically recognizes the device being used, and adjusts the display criteria accordingly. The service even offers an “iPhone-Ready” function which will no doubt please the growing user community of this cult phone.
Posted in Local Search on the go, Local Search per Mobile phone, Local Search, News, Practical features |
Tags: Auskunftsportal, Branchenbuch, Branchenverzeichnis, DasTelefonbuch, DasTelefonbuch-Servicegesellschaft, DasTelefonbuchmobil.de, DeTeMedien, lokale Informationen, mobile lokale Suche |
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Phone directory “DasTelefonbuch” gets a new look
The telephone online directory DasTelefonbuch has pepped up its web presence and can be found sporting some new features and an updated interface.
Relaunched in March, above all the design of the portal has been changed. On the start page, the search fields take a stronger central focus than before. Links that were previously more prominent, such as Area Codes and Postal Code Finder, as well as Themes such as Emergency numbers, are now to be found somewhat smaller, placed under the entry field.
Also new: on searching, the user already receives a preview of all available content, in the generated results list. Using this new feature, it is possible at a glance, to scan available additional information (e.g. e-mail or URL) using the detail preview, in addition to the standard details like phone number and address.
This detail view, accessed by clicking the name or the “All Information” link, serves to make the site much more user-friendly and accessible. Previously one was already able to print, e-mail, fax or sms a selected entry, but this functionality was not clear and was easily overseen. This has now been remedied. The new ‘look’, using attractive and easily recognizable icons, placed on a dark grey background, now displays these former practical features under the “Use Contact” section, where one can also find a map-view and a route planner.
A press release also lists other features offered by the website, including the uploading of business adverts, photos or videos, and additional information about products, services or hours of operation.
GoLocal.de starts up
As already reported on these pages, the makers of GoYellow also are venturing into the Web2.0 world. On March 10, 2008, the new ratings portal GoLocal.de was launched on the web and is available to all users under the motto “Find better together”…
GoLocal.de in effect is a product of GoLocal GmbH & Co. K.G. that in turn is a daughter company of GoYellow Media AG, whose products include the online directory GoYellow.de.
The new ratings platform GoLocal.de is similar in many of its functions to the recommendation platform Qype. Using GoLocal.de, users can find businesses & services under “locations” – and the ratings of other users for a specific locations/undertakings. The results are generated in a list and shown on a GoogleMap. Particularly practical is the sort by alpha, distance or best rating function. Registered visitors can also add their opinions to generated listings, providing star ratings, adding photos or adding new ‘locations’. A route planner is not offered at present.
Along side the search for ‘locations’, GoLocal.de also offers an event search. Using this one can research events in the neighborhood and also add descriptions and comments.
In a press release, the company describes GoLocal.de also as a ”ratings community”. This confuses somewhat, since registered users are unable to communicate with other users, contrary to what one understands today under community functionality.
The new service is still in the Beta-Phase, and will be expanded in the coming months, according to the press release. As of mid June 2008, the full version is expected to go live, and plans also include the simultaneous launch of a mobile portal.
Posted in Web Communities, Local Search per PC, Local Search, News |
Tags: Bewertungsportal, Branchenbuch, Empfehlungsportal, GoLocal, GoYellow |
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