Domain registrar Network Solutions Inc. signed an agreement Monday with Internet database company infoUSA.com to provide content, build and
distribute Internet yellow pages of online businesses.
The new directory will be called the Network Solutions’ “dot com directory”
and will be “the definitive find engine” for businesses, the companies said.
Financial arrangements were not disclosed.
Initially, the dot com directory will be created by compiling Network
Solutions 4 million Web address registrations ending in .com, .net and .org
with infoUSA.com ‘s database of 11 million small businesses.
Users will be able to search for companies with Web addresses in a variety of
ways–by business category, type of service, sales volume, geography, name,
commerce-enabled status, keywords and several other categories.
The dot com
directory will also allow portals to offer users a targeted, vertical entry point
to conduct e-commerce with any business with a Web site address, the
companies said.
infoUSA.com will also offer the directory to its Internet licensees and
connect its growing base of over 2.5 million customers directly to the dot
com directory via a link with its Web site.
The millions of online businesses that have already registered a .com, .net
and .org Web address will receive a free listing in the dot com directory,
and new customers who register their domain name with Network Solutions will
qualify for a free listing. Enhanced display listings will be available for
an additional charge.
“Network Solutions is setting the pace in Internet identity and now with the
dot com directory, we’re setting the pace in interconnection as well,” Doug
Wolford, Network Solutions’ senior vice president, sales and marketing. “With
the backing of infoUSA.com, GTE, Looksmart, Verisign and Vicinity, we are
producing a content-rich find engine for businesses so their customers can
pinpoint the products or services they’re looking for anywhere in the
world.”
GTE SuperPages.com will distribute the dot com directory on a co-branded Web
site or via a hyperlink accessible from SuperPages.com.
Verisign, a provider of Internet trust
services, will distribute the dot com directory to its customers and partners
as well as provide information about the commerce security of each listing in
the directory.
Vicinity, a provider of e-retail
solutions,will support the content and infrastructure of the dot com
directory.
Looksmart, a directory of quality Web
sites, will connect its customers to the directory via a link from its Web
site.
The dot.com directory is scheduled for launch in June.
