Sensis opens Yellow™ content to search engines

Sensis has opened the door of www.yellow.com.au, the biggest local business database in the country, to search engines for the first time.

The strategic move enables search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Live Search to index the 2 million-plus listings on www.yellow.com.au and make them available to people using search engines to find local businesses.

For businesses listed in YellowTM who do not have their own website, it means they now have an instant web address where their business details can be found by the millions of potential customers using search engines.

Sensis' General Manager Online Search and Directories, Chris Smith, said optimising YellowTM listings to be found on search engines was an evolutionary step in Sensis and Yellow's strategy to help Australians find, buy and sell.

"Making our YellowTM database searchable by search engines represents another key milestone in our strategy to increase the distribution of our content and the value for our advertisers.

"In much the same way we've made Yellow listings available across print, online, voice, mobile and satellite navigation devices, this initiative takes Yellow a giant step further by taking advantage of the popularity of search engines and using them as another channel through which Yellow listings can be found," he said.

To optimise its content for indexing by search engines, Yellow has constructed a specially designed web page for every business listed in the online directory. Each web page has its own URL and contains information such as the business' name, address, phone numbers and location on a map, as well as the capability for people to email the listing to a friend or send to their mobile phone.

This effectively provides a standalone page for each Yellow listing that can be served up in search engine results when a person conducts a search relevant to that business.

"Search engines point people to content so it's a logical progression to make our Yellow content, content currently used by over 9 million people per month, even more accessible," Mr Smith said.

"For our advertisers, their Yellow listing becomes more powerful as it has much greater reach than ever before. And for consumers using search engines to find local businesses, they now have access to Yellow's comprehensive database of local businesses."

Mr Smith said the popularity of the www.yellow.com.au website and the way it had been built meant the new individual pages created for Yellow businesses carry a heavy weighting in terms of where they appear in the organic results on search engines.

"Put simply, the fact www.yellow.com.au is well known and used has a big impact in determining how high businesses listed in Yellow may appear in results on search engines.

"It can take a lot of time and effort for a small business to try and get a high ranking for their website in search results. Now by advertising with Yellow, a lot of the hard work has already been done," Mr Smith said.

-ends-

 Below are examples of key word searches in Google that deliver Yellow listings:

For interviews or further information please contact:

Stephen Ronchi, Sensis, ph: 03 8653 7828, mob: 0417 138 649

About Sensis:

Sensis is Australia's leading information resource. We make complex lives simpler by helping Australians find, buy and sell. Sensis delivers innovative and integrated search solutions via print, online, voice and wireless channels to connect Australians 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Our powerful, multi-channel portfolio provides an unparalleled local information source incorporating: the White Pages® and YellowTM directories; the Citysearch® entertainment site; the Whereis® location and navigation database; sensis.com.au - the search engine for Australians; 1234, the operator-assisted, premium voice information service; and The Trading Post Group's stable of weekly and monthly publications and online sites; Universal Publisher's UBD, Gregory's and other mapping publications; and the accommodation website gostay.com.au. Sensis owns a majority shareholding in SouFun.com, China's leading real estate and home furnishings website. Sensis also recently acquired majority shares in China's leading auto sites Autohome.com and Che168.com, and leading digital devices websites IT168.com and PCPop.com.cn.

® and TM Registered trademark and trademark of Telstra Corporation Ltd. UBD®, the UBD logo and Gregory's logo are registered trade marks of Universal Publishers Pty Ltd. Trading Post® and the Trading Post logo are registered trade marks of Research Resources Pty Ltd. Citysearch® and the Citysearch logo is a registered trade mark of CitySearch Australia Pty Ltd. Sensis Pty Ltd is responsible for YellowTM, White Pages® and Whereis® and related products and services on behalf of Telstra Corporation Ltd and is responsible for similar activities in relation to CitySearch® on behalf of CitySearch Australia Pty Ltd and CitySearch Canberra Pty Ltd.