Posts Tagged ‘Branchenverzeichnis’
KlickTel ported to Android mobile phones
18 Mar. 2009 | Author: 
Alongside other local search services such as Google Maps and Qype, the provider KlickTel has released a special Android-version, for devices such as the Google G1 Smartphone.
With “klickTel for Android” the mobile G1-user can access addresses, telephone numbers, as well as branch directory and traffic information, according to Telegate Media, the operators of KlickTel, in a recent press release. GPS-based local search is also facilitated, allowing locating of cash dispensers, fast food restaurants, or after-hours pharmacies in their immediate vicinity. The application offers the same features as the KlickTel Service for the iPhone (launched in January 2009 – see our post).
According to Telegate Media, users can download the application gratis from the Android Market.
Metasearch
Improvements are also to be discovered on KlickTel’s website. Here users can use the so-called Metasearch, as was announced in a Telegate Media newsletter. Instead of filling out many individual search fields, thanks to the new Metasearch, the search can be achieved through a simplified query. To do this, the user enters the search term in the “Who/what are you looking for?” field on the start page, and then the location in the “Where?” field.
Posted in Local Search per PC, Local Search on the go, Local Search per Mobile phone, Local Search, Localization technology, News, Practical features | 
Tags: Android, Applikation, Branchenbuch, Branchenverzeichnis, G1, Google Handy, Google-Phone, Google-Smartphone, GPS, Klicktel, KlickTel for Android, Metasuche, Online-Verzeichnis, Telegate | 
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Printed directories continue to be popular
Approximately 90 percent of Germans over the age of 14 use directory media. Despite numerous local internet services, 74 percent of users consult printed editions of telephone and other directories.
Published in a current study of the market research institute Ipsos, commissioned by the Verbandes Deutscher Auskunfts- und Verzeichnismedien (vdav) [en=Association of German Information Directories], in its eighth repeat iteration in November 2008, which surveyed 2,000 people over 14 years of age. In a press release, vdav published the results of the study.
Along with the use of printed media, directory enquiries is also popular – 37 percent of the people surveyed called up when searching for address information. Online directories placed third in popularity – somewhat more than a quarter of respondents, according to vdav, consult the internet when searching for companies, service providers and people.
Posted in Local Search per PC, Local Search on the go, Local Search per Mobile phone, Local Search, Studies, News, Local Search Engines |
Tags: Branchenbuch, Branchenbücher, Branchenverzeichnis, Ipsos, Marktforschungsinstitut, Online-Verzeichnisse, Studie, Telefonauskunft, Telefonbuch, Telefonbücher, Umfrage, VDAV, Verband Deutscher Auskunfts- und Verzeichnismedien, Verzeichnismedien |
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GelbeSeiten.de: Leading online branch directory
“GelbeSeiten remains clearly the number one of branch directories – online and offline”, recently announced by GelbeSeiten Marketing GmbH in a press release. This is supported by the current data (regarding the online sphere) released by the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Online Forschung (aka AGOF).
The statement concerns the conclusions of the AGOF, the leading online marketer in Germany. The AGOF publishes quarterly the market media study “Internet facts“. The latest evaluation appeared mid December 2008, covering the 3rd quarter 2008.
This analysis counted an average of 3,05 million unique visitors monthly to GelbeSeiten, for the period July – September 2008. This is 19% up from the 2nd quarter total million unique visitors. Y=The portal thus moved up to position 33 in the study, and became the most visited site of its kind during this period, at least in a limited field. This was discussed by Uwe Frigg, COO of GelbeSeiten Marketing GmbH, in a press report. “Contrary to other competitors, we do not obscure our market by combining our field of expertise of branch directories and telephone directories, with private customer data.
Moreover, GelbeSeiten is the only one of the studied local search services that exclusively offers searches of commercial addresses. In comparison with other local search services analyzed by AGOF, GelbeSeite was actually trumped by DasTelefonbuch (place 15), DasOertliche (place 15) and meinestadt.de (place 17). Lower ranked were Qype (place 58 with an average 1,49 million users), tying with Klicktel (also 1,49 million users). GoYellow was even further down the list at place 65 and pointoo at place 101.
Posted in General, Local Search per PC, Local Search, News |
Tags: AGOF, Branchenbuch, Branchenverzeichnis, Branchenverzeichnisse, dasoertliche, DasTelefonbuch, GelbeSeiten, GoYellow, internet facts, Klicktel, lokale Informationen, lokale Suchdienste, meinestadt.de, Onlinebranchenverzeichnis, pointoo, Qype |
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Recommendation portal – TestMyBIZ
The recommendation portal TestMyBIZ is now available for users searching for local companies or service providers, who wish to choose exclusively from other users’ suggestions.
As outlined by the operators TestMyBIZ GmbH in Bergische Gladbach in a press release, registered users can submit and recommend their favorite stores and businesses. Only positive ratings are possible, contrary to other sites such as Qype or Dialo.de.
Users are able to use a 5-star system, ranging from “above average” through “tops”. The ranking of the results on TestMyBIZ is derived exclusively from the user ratings and is absolutely unable to be influenced by the company itself being rated. However, in order to activate a full/complete entry with ratings etc., companies must approve the ‘publication’ of the entry. A basic entry is therefore free; however if an undertaking wishes to augment and expand the entry to cover further information and/or photos, a charge will be made.
Though the portal has been online since September 2007, the sheer numbers of entries, at least in our test experience, are somewhat thin on the ground.
So this is how a local search engine works
In an unconventional post, using a fun video, the team of local.ch explain the technologies used by the regional Swiss-based search engine. In this way, everyone should be able to understand the subject, including those with no idea about algorithms, syntax or semantics. And one doesn’t need to understand Swiss dialect! [Ed: this obviously is aimed at German speakers!]
The woman has barely started her search online, when an uproar breaks out in the search engine team: the entire team rummages through printed address lists, tearing out fitting extracts, and thrusting them into the hand of an office runner. He dashes with the scraps of paper to a fax machine and sends the data to a PC.
The above scene is a tiny sequence from the online video found in the blog of the local Swiss search engine local.ch. Using much humor and effort, the local.ch team somehow answers the question “how does a local search engine work?”
Lokalesucheblog.de asked local.ch how the fun idea for the project came about. Martin Seiler, responsible for communication at local.ch, kindly fulfilled our curiosity. The video actually began as an April Fool’s joke, with the team wanting to send itself up. Thus developed the storyboard and the characters as seen in the video. The text was penned by Seiler, who admitted that was also responsible for the direction.
Brownbook: joining up is worthwhile
The most websites whose content is derived from its users, build on the users’ good will and willingness to participate. The UK-based Web2.0 web directory Brownbook offers its users also a pecuniary incentive- for new entries or ratings earn financial rewards.
This takes place when signed-up businesses reward user entries or ratings, in response to one or more (paid) ads placed using the portal’s advertising-options. Brownbook pays you a slice of anything it earns make from businesses that ‘claim’ their listings and promotions, as a result of users making contributions to Brownbook.net.
For example, an ad could cost UK £ 5 (or US $10) to a ‘claimed’ business. 20% of the Brownbook fees to that business go to the user who last edited the entry. (See “How much can I earn?“)
The new ‘User Earnings Program’ is discussed in a video in the company blog by Brownbook co-founder and CEO Dave Ingram. The principles are also announced in a press release.
Those who want to earn money with Brownbook must register online, and also need a PayPal account where the payments may be transferred. And one must really be diligent about writing entries and ratings.
Brownbook appeared unofficially in December 2007 and went ‘public’ in february 2008 in the United Kingdom. The operators describe the portal as a free and open Wiki-like online directory, where users can search for local firms, rate and describe these or add new entries. The content which derives substantially for the users, is able to be edited by any other user, at least as long as a company has not claimed control over the content. The platform has been targeted internationally, as of July 2008. A recent figure (October 2008) announced by the operators listed over 27 million entries for 230 countries. The most entries are generated in the UK, USA, Canada and Australia.
Posted in Web Communities, Local Search per PC, Local Search on the go, Local Search per Mobile phone, Local Search, News |
Tags: Beurteilung, Bewertungsplattform, Bewertungsportal, Branchenbuch, Branchenverzeichnis, Brownbook, Community, lokale Informationen, mobile lokale Suche, Nutzerbewertung, Onlinebranchenverzeichnis, PayPal, User Generated Content, Verzeichnisdienst, web2.0 |
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GelbeSeiten way ahead
“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.
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.
