In a detailed study released earlier this week, BlitzLocal published the results of testing CitySearch's basic listings product. The company, now rebranded as CityGrid, seeks to collect small monthly fee from local advertisers with the promise of providing enhanced visibility, traffic, and revenue to local businesses.
The results of the study, which ran 9 local businesses through the CitySearch product for 10 months actually produced a 500% decrease in traffic from CitySearch, despite an increase in Google traffic.
BlitzLocal asked for CitySearch's help to review and troubleshoot the data, but the only response was a sales pitch from their head of PR, Brandi Willard.
Needless to say, this is a setback for the many small businesses that have put their hard earned dollars and trust in CitySearch. Fortunately, the local online market is evolving to have more transparent and legitimate players.
