Laurel, MD-based iAtlas Corp., a
developer of technologies
with the ability to find, refine and verify Internet business information,
signed an agreement to integrate its searchable “rich extensions” database
with Switchboard’s online yellow pages directory.
Westboro, MA-based Switchboard said that as a result, it
will be providing a new, no-cost avenue to improve the visibility of local
merchants that have an established Web presence to consumers who are ‘ready-
to-buy.’
Merchants can further extend that visibility with a variety of advertising
options available through Switchboard’s recently announced Local Merchant
Program. The partnership gives Switchboard users direct access to over 500,000
Web sites and the ability to execute keyword searches for specific content
throughout all of a particular company’s Web domains. Financial arrangements
were not disclosed.
Leveraging the iAtlas Infolens technology, Switchboard said it will enable
local merchants to better differentiate themselves by offering users the
ability to more narrowly refine their business searches based on the content
of merchant Web sites. For example, a Switchboard user will be able to search
yellow pages for camera shops in Santa Clara, CA and–using iAtlas’
Infolens–pinpoint the particular Silicon Valley camera merchants that sell the
specific product brands they are seeking.
“Building an extensive and rich base of searchable business information into
Switchboard is one of our most fundamental objectives,” said Dean Polnerow,
president of Switchboard. “This partnership represents a new and unique way
for local merchants to be found on the Web, leveraging the investments they
are making in their Web sites.”
“The value of iAtlas’ Infolens is its ability to push online business
searching to a new level, providing users with deeper, more detailed
categories of business information that they can use to better qualify
merchants,” said Jeff Black, iAtlas’ president, founder and chief executive.
“We are delighted to partner with a company like Switchboard where our product
adds clear incremental value.”
The power behind the Infolens technology–the iAtlas Registry–is a
database that contains Internet information for every organization on the Web.
The Registry is further strengthened through an agreement with infoUSA; the
marketing information vendor’s business data was one of the offline sources
used to populate the iAtlas Registry database with specific business
demographic information–allowing end-users to focus their keyword searches
by industry, geography, size of business, company type, or any combination of
the above.
