NEW YORK, April 15 /PRNewswire/ -- According to research firm BIA/Kelsey, 97% of consumers use online media when researching local products or services.  City.com (www.city.com), a privately funded NYC company, has launched a local search website to help consumers discover and connect with local businesses.  City.com provides users with an application for searching, reviewing and rating the places around them.  The company has developed an extensive database of listings, secured partnerships with leading event publishers, and aggregated unique hyper-local blog content.  Features include maps by Google Maps, local events by Yahoo!, and full Facebook and Twitter integration.

Moving forward, City.com is aggressively adding to its database of business listings, reviews and ratings, with a unique focus on building communities of active users.  Small businesses have been very vocal about their criticism of Yelp and its review policies, going as far as to label them as alleged extortionists.  As a fresh start-up, City.com has the luxury of learning from its competitor's mistakes and avoiding their pitfalls.  City.com is building a platform where transparency to both users and advertisers is paramount.  The goal of City.com is to create a level playing field for businesses to market their products and services to consumers.

In addition to facilitating the creation of hyper-local content, City.com is developing practical direct marketing tools for local merchants.  "Online consumer behavior has evolved, and many businesses lack the expertise needed to effectively market products and services to both their offline and online customers. We see a great disconnect and there lies the opportunity," says City.com co-founder and SVP of business development Michael Bahlitzanakis. City.com is focused on becoming the preeminent relationship manager for local businesses who are seeking cost effective local marketing strategies.  The company has established syndication and content partnerships to enable businesses to better control their business profiles centrally at City.com, while having their invaluable listing data syndicated to over 100 local search providers including Google, Yahoo!, Bing, and YellowPages.com.  

About City.com Media LLC

City.com Media, is a New York City based LLC that connects consumers with local businesses.  The company earns revenues through search and display advertising, and will offer premium commercial services directly to businesses.  City.com's direct competitors include IAC's CitySearch, Yelp, and Zagat.

SOURCE City.com Media LLC