The company will face some stuff competition however, as it enters a space that already has been targeted by portals, newspaper consortiums and a division of Ticketmaster.
The model calls for local media properties such as radio stations or television stations to sell the Ezyfind portal service to local business. The businesses can get free listings on the local portal or pay for more extensive Web sites. Ezyfind also has a store builder service to hook the businesses up with suppliers worldwide.
Ezyfind provides the portal content, while the media partners fill in local news and content.
Local connection
CEO Noel Miller said that having the local partners and providing links to community sections that spread across the entire network will help distinguish the site from the competition.
"There's enough of a market out there to make this occur," he said. "Even in America only thirty to forty percent of small businesses have Web sites. We can go out and offer them something tangible."
But analysts said that while the company's strategy of focusing on smaller metro areas may free it from some competition, it could also mean it will have a tougher time finding customers.
"They may not get enough users to get a compelling local site. You're much more likely to get a lot of Alaskan hound enthusiasts walking around in Boston than in Des Moines," said Peter Krasilovsky, program director the Kelsey Group in Princeton, New Jersey.
