Thomson to take on rivals with Website

Thomson Directories has joined business rivals Yellow Pages and Freepages by launching its own Website.

The new service is aimed at providing businesses and consumers with a quick-to-use online search facility for Thomson’s business listings.

The INbusiness service (www. inbusiness.co.uk) will be promoted on Thomson Directories’ advertising and promotional material. The service will enable national and local searches for business contacts, based on the 2.1 million classified listings contained in Thomson’s 164 local directories.

The company has deliberately opted for a basic site design aimed at avoiding graphics and shortening download and access time, according to Laurence O’Toole, business ventures marketing manager.

“We are concentrating on ease-of-use and speed in obtaining the information,” he says.

Advertisers which take out “enhanced listings” in Thomson’s print directories will be offered hotlinks to their own Websites, and will be taken to the top of lists generated by searches conducted on the online service.