Local.com Offers New Look, Enhancements

I didn’t listen to the Local.com earnings call but apparently there was discussion of a site redesign with a number of enhanced features. Here’s what Local.com PR indicated is new (this their list of bullets):

• Modular design, advanced user functionality and additional rich local business content
• A more flexible structure, which allows Local.com to display additional local business content on the site
• A highly optimized interface, which includes new geo-targeted home, search results and profile pages, reduces user navigation time making it faster and easier for consumers to access local business content using Local.com
• New Local.com home page, which can be customized and features geo-targeted reviews, local weather and traffic reports and coupons
• Incorporates technology that dramatically reduces page load times and optimizes various content areas throughout the site

I believe the new site and features are now live (the screens they provided look like what’s on the site now): 

The company has also integrated Virtual Earth maps (this may have been in place for awhile): 

This move toward enhanced content is good. I’m not a fan of some of the display ads and what I would argue is clutter on the site but they have to make a living. 

The site needs to evolve further but it’s in a revenue position that enables it to start taking a longer view of the market and now build the brand (as opposed to simply traffic). While this is somehat intangible it’s also important; otherwise you’re doing Google arbitrage forever. Along those lines the domain is a huge asset.