Citysearch

Citysearch is an online city guide that provides information and user-generated reviews for local businesses across the United States. Established in September 1995, the company was one of the earliest players in the digital local search market, effectively creating a web-based equivalent of the Yellow Pages. The initial idea and seed capital came from Bill Gross of Idealab, with the founding team including Jeffrey Brewer, Caskey Dickson, Brad Haaugard, Taylor Wescoatt, and Tamar Halpern. Charles R. Conn, a former McKinsey partner with an MBA from Harvard, was recruited to lead the company as its founding CEO.

The company's business model centers on connecting consumers with local businesses in categories such as dining, shopping, entertainment, and professional services. Citysearch generates revenue primarily through advertising and marketing services for these businesses. This includes paid sponsored listings for enhanced visibility, premium profiles, and pay-per-click or pay-per-impression advertising models. The platform provides businesses with a space to feature promotions and display ads to a targeted local audience, while users can access contact information, maps, and a combination of editorial and user reviews to make informed decisions.

Citysearch has undergone significant corporate evolution. In August 1998, it merged with Ticketmaster Online. A major milestone occurred in July 1999 when it acquired the competing Sidewalk.com from Microsoft. The combined entity, Ticketmaster-CitySearch, received a $40 million investment from Barry Diller's USA Networks, Inc. in December 1999 and was later fully acquired by IAC. To expand its user-generated content, Citysearch acquired Insider Pages in 2007. In June 2010, the parent entity rebranded from Citysearch, LLC to CityGrid Media, which operated Citysearch, Insider Pages, and Urbanspoon as a network. Despite its early presence, the company faced intense competition from newer platforms like Yelp in the late 2000s, which impacted its growth. In 2019, IAC sold CityGrid Media to eLocal.

Keywords: local guide, business directory, user reviews, online advertising, local search, city guide, restaurant reviews, service recommendations, digital yellow pages, local marketing