1 Million Local Searches!

November 14th, 2011

Back in June we reported our Quarterly traffic at 1.1 million visitors. With over 47,000 customer review’s, WhoseView has continued to influence people’s perceptions from the high street retailer to the local corner shop. In Quarter 4 of this year, we will facilitate over 1 million local business searches (visits are excess of 1.1 million). These searches begin directly on WhoseView or are referred from major search engines.

1million-title1

Either way we are delighted to be able to facilitate so many searches.  As a local review hub, we are benefiting from people’s changing search habits where previously people visited traditional online directories for information. Today people are visiting sites such as WhoseView, where not only can they source contact and mapping details, but also local reviews and opinions which greatly facilitate people’s online searches.

Some interesting research recently published by Brightlocal on the importance of reviews and influence on people’s search habits. This study was done in both the UK and US, however here are the topline UK results;

  • 77% of UK respondents said they used the internet to find a local business in the past year.
  • 61% of online consumers consulted local business reviews at least occasionally, with 22% saying they do so regularly.
  • Those in the 16-34 age range consult reviews more than other groups.
  • 62% of consumers trust a local business more after reading positive online reviews.
  • 48% of consumers more likely to use a business after reading positive reviews.
  • 72% of respondents say they trust online reviews as much as word of mouth recommendations.

Pretty compelling stuff and only highlights the growing importance of customer reviews and the role they play in search. We know that 20% of all searches on Google via PC is location based, while it’s as high as 50% for mobile searches.

Looking at some big name brands, here are just a few where WhoseView ranks within Top 3 on Page 1 of Google;

marksspencer_logo

WhoseView shapes the perceptions of tens of thousands of local businesses every day as they search on Google. It is through those searches that WhoseView generates approx 14,000 phone calls to local businesses every month.

So what do I do all day on WhoseView where traffic peaks at 14,000 visitors on key days and members add an average of 100 new reviews every day (we now have over 42,500 reviews)?

The day usually starts off with reading of dozens of emails from members and businesses across Ireland and the UK. Emails from members vary…from asking how to edit a review, queries on their points, to queries on offers and vouchers. Every day we receive emails from businesses asking questions from how to claim their pages, to editing a photo or responding to a reviewer. With more and more businesses finding a higher organic listing on Google with reference to their business and reviews from WhoseView, the volume of queries has grown considerably. This is great for WhoseView as it allows us operate under a pull model of leads building.

As businesses can claim their page for free on WhoseView and members can add businesses, we have quiet a few requests each day, which requires us to verify the business listing before placing live.

Throughout the day, we are verifying business details as they are reviewed. As our site structure ensures only reviewed businesses rise to the top, we operate a daily process of checking a reviewed businesses details such as geocodes, phone, address etc, so ensuring our reviewed businesses are always presented with accurate business details. We also scan most reviews, although this is not always possible as some days you could have over 300 reviews posted.

On the development side we are liaising with our developers daily on pushing through enhancements to improve the user experience. On average we make about 15 to 20 minor changes a month, all with the objective of improving the user experience. There is also the new development work which I need to project manage on a daily bases. Although WhoseView is only 25 months old {in terms of public access), we starting the planning and building process over 44 months ago.

I try and spend time everyday analysing our analytic’s and sources of traffic. Today for example we are looking at a movement in our traffic from Google Local. With an agreement with Google (whereby we provide an XML feed of reviews into Google Maps/Local) we have managed to achieve prominence on SERPS where google presents a places listing. See an earlier blog post we wrote about this.

Later today, we are formulating our plan for targeting local businesses with our Big Deal Offering, coupled with recruiting businesses to test a new business product offering we are currently building. The objective being to better enable local businesses leverage their page and reviews from WhoseView.

We have been very busy of late making significent enhancements to WhoseView.ie and WhoseView.co.uk.

While most of the work is being completed on the back end, one noticeable change on the front end has been our new Business Page layout.

buspage1

The objective of the new page structure was to ensure quality content was more visible on each business page. Given the amount of quality content on each business page, we needed to restructure the layout of the page, placing the content in structures and boxes to help users better navigate the page content.

Each business page (of which we have over 250,000) has a wealth of quality information, primarily user generated content (over 42,000 reviews).

bus-page2

Some interesting new features on our business pages include;

- Ranking structure of each business in their categories for city and area are now more visible on top right of page.

- More social bookmarking tools have been included, enabling a long tail effect for each business page.

- Members can now select option of being notified of future reviews for a business page.

- On the panels on right side of page, we have expanded out to include more related information e.g. Similar reviewed businesses with high reviews and high scores, as well as businesses nearby with reviews.

Results

- We have seen our bounce rate fall on business pages.
- We have seen an increase in time spend on each business page.
- We have already seen thousands of business pages climb higher on Google organic ranking.

Other site changes

We have also been working on some elements behind the scenes, not noticeable to most visitors of WhoseView.ie and WhoseView.co.uk.  The ultimate goal being to make the site more user friendly to both visitors and search engines. Hope you like the changes:-)

We are a bit early with this one, but given that an average of 100 reviews are posted daily to WhoseView, we are confident we’ll reach this 40,000 mark by mid next week. Would be extra nice to do so before our 2nd birthday on the 19th of July:-)

Below is a chart included in a post back in April on the projected review count on WhoseView for Q2 & Q3. We surpassed our end of Q2 targets by 750 reviews and will do so by a greater amound at end of Q3.  In fact for complete transparency we’ve recently added a live review count on the top header of every page.

new-picture-49

We believe WhoseView.ie continue’s to be the No.1 customer review website in Ireland in terms of review count. It has always been our stated objective to be a local customer review based website rather than a listing website. We are confident in surpassing 53,000 local reviews by year end and doubling this to 100,000 by end of 2012.

******Updated 23rd July******

We surpassed the 40,000th review mark on the evening of the 18th July, the eve before our 2nd Birthday:-). Count today is heading towards 40, 400.

WhoseView is delighted to have achieved over 1,100,000 visitors in the months of April, May and June 2011. Members love posting reviews and in fact have posted nearly 37,500 of them! Visitors love reading our reviews and finding the best services in their locality, hence our continued traffic growth. This is a very important milestone in that it’s our first quarter to have surpassed 1 million visitors. A big thank you to everyone who have helped us surpass this important sx figure.

one_million_01

WhoseView is ultimately about reviews, and as of today, close to 37,500 reviews will have been posted by members on everything from Hairdressers, Beauty Salons, Restaurants, Shoe Repairers, Locksmiths, Bars, Cafes etc. In fact we have over 300 categories on WhoseView with reviews.

Over 1,500,000 million business pages were viewed in the months of April, May and June 2011, making WhoseView an important influence on people’s decision making every day in terms of which services to use.

We look forward to driving the site forward over the coming months, making WhoseView more relevant and important to people as they search for the best places in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Waterford, London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

In the meantime, we are only delighted to read our own positive reviews, as to what people really think about WhoseView.

dublin2You walk by them every day without a second thought, and would be shocked to find out just how great some of these places are! Thanks to the great contributions by WhoseView reviewers, we’ve compiled a list of the top hidden gems in Dublin. Who knows, maybe one of these will become your new favourite spot!

Gin Palace
It looks shabby from the outside, but inside you’ll find a nice atmosphere, great food, and good drinks too!

Gammels
The tea and cakes heare are wonderful, and the atmosphere is very plesant indeed.

Beshoff Brothers
You don’t have to go any further than Ballsbridge if you’re looking for great takeaway at really good prices. Even though this place is unassuming, you will love how clean it is inside, and the food is really good.

Café- Walkinstown
Nothing gets more obscure than a place without a name! Stop in to this nice corner café for coffee, a sandwich or food. Reviewers agree that it’s convenient and the staff are friendly.

Whitefriar Street Church
Hailed by WhoseView reviewers as one of the most beautiful churches in Dublin, this city center location is definitely worth a visit. This historic Roman Catholic church houses relics of Saint Valentine and a pope. Our reviewers say it’s worth looking at even if you’re not religious. The building also has a café and a secondhand bookstore.

Whitefriar Street Church

Whitefriar Street Church

Chapters
If you love looking at old books, Chapters is the place for you. It is possible to get lost for hours looking at their extensive selection of used books. The prices are reasonable and the selection can’t be beat!

Bake my Cake
You’ll have to travel to Blackrock to try this bakery, but it’s definitely worth the trip. Anyone who loves cupcakes is going to feel right at home in this adorable bakery. Reviewers recommend everything from the lattes to the wedding cakes!

The Schooolhouse Restaurant and Bar
This cozy place is ideal for after work drinks with friends. While reviewers liked the food and beverage offered here, they agree that the best thing about this place is the building. High ceilings and old beams make this used-to-be school house a lot of fun after work. Don’t come looking for a wild party, but for a relaxed evening this place is ideal. It is also attached to a hotel if you are looking for a place to house out of town friends.

Om Diva
The owners of this fun vintage clothing store must have a great eye for design! The rotating stock is always great and they sell lots of fun peculiar things. One reviewer hails it as a girly girl’s paradise! Come here for a unique dress or some interesting jewellery, and stay for the fun atmosphere.

Little Sport
If you ride a bike, chances are you will need to repair it at some point. Or if you are looking to take up cycling, you might be wondering if there is anyone who can help you get started. All the cyclists on WhoseView recommend Little Sport as the best bike shop in Dublin. They have a great selection and very friendly staff.

Recently we talked about the Best Restaurants in Dublin. Now here is Galway! No matter what kind of food you’re in the mood for, here are ten best restaurants in Galway you’ll have to try.galway-street-picture

For real, delicious, authentic Thai food, WhoseView contributors agree, it has to be Thai Garden on Portmore Spanish Arch. “it’s a diamond in the rough” says member Evey. All the other reviews agree. If you like Thai food and are looking for a new place to try, give this a go- you won’t regret it.

For a wonderful, reasonably priced meal, Galway-goers should eat at Padraicins. Diners can look out at beautiful water views at this lovely country restaurant, while enjoying an extensive array of items on the menu. Everyone agrees that the seafood is definitely the best choice here though. Lisa says “their sea food chowder is the best ever and there’s some competition for it in Galway”

Interior of Padraicins

Interior of Padraicins

The potato takes center stage at Couch Potatas on Abbygate Street Upper. The humble potato never seemed so fancy as with all the toppings and fillings available here! Couch Potatas is a favorite of Galway area students for their big portions and free wifi, but Michelle said it was just as she remembered it 10 years later! Amanda gives a shout out to the Hawaii 5/0, a potato with ham, pineapple, and cheese, but we bet anything you try is going to taste great!

Great Italian food finds a home at Basilico on Main Street. Many members raved about the pizza, as well as the prices. One other plus to this restaurant’s great food and service? It’s family friendly. Reviewers tout large portions and great dessert, so save room and come often!

Da Tang Noodle House

This small, relaxed Chinese restaurant on Middle Street offers great food in an intimate setting. Maura recommends the dumplings, while P.B. suggests bringing a date! The food is authentically Chinese, and the service is friendly and quick- what more could you ask for?

Finally! A burger place you can bring your vegan friends to! The menu at Boogaloo Burger (which is on Lower Abbygate Street) features wonderful burgers, ribs, and vegetarian and vegan options. Delicious burgers are the specialty here, and the array of options is just fantastic!

If it’s large portions and tasty Italian food you’re looking for, try L’osteria Da Roberta on Upper Salthill Road. The food tastes authentic and the prices are fair. Reviewers raved about the vegetarian ravioli!

For affordable thin crust pizza, those in and around Galway should try Apache Pizza on Lower Dominick Street. Great for eating in or for takeaway, Cian says it’s much better than the chains! Apache Pizza offers meat as well as vegetarian toppings for their pizza. Delicious!

For a good meal and a great night, The Front Door Bar and Restaurant on High Street is the place to go. Offering multiple courses for a fixed price, the food is reportedly great. The atmosphere can’t be beat either “I’ve never had a bad night in here” says Amanda. Though many caution of crowds, particularly on weekend nights.

And don’t forget to head to Griffin’s Bakery on Shop Street for dessert. This place has been around for ages, and at you’ll know why as soon as you taste it! Reviewers posted many wonderful things about all the special occasion cakes available here. Stop in if you’re in Galway City shopping or for lunch. You can get a table and people watch while enjoying your lovely treat.

Recent Reviews

  • Service Raves
    Service Raves

    • Gibneys James & Sons
      Each time we visit our friends in Portmarnock we inevitably end up going up the road for a few drink...
    • The Half Door Sweet Company
      This shop is just down from Smyths so if you bring the kids to this area it could cost you a king's ...
    • Cafe Solo
      This place is a great little Coffee House. Staff were very friendly and diligent. Food was super, lo...
    • Limerick Cabs
      I used to use this taxi service atleast once a week getting to and from Limerick bus station. They w...

Twitter Feed

    • whoseview_com: atest Review: Jeff Devine Hair Group: For the last six months Ive always gotten my hair done in Jeff Devine's a... http://t.co/TgRQ06Q3
    • whoseview_com: atest Review: Kebab & Hamburger Bar: I went here to buy a kebab yesterday and as I was being served a cockroach... http://t.co/1LYKnZN7
    • whoseview_com: atest Review: Cafe Solo: This place is a great little Coffee House. Staff were very friendly and diligent. Food... http://t.co/16mUImQm
    • whoseview_com: atest Review: Cleo: This is a lovely cosy shop, selling Woolen goods - clothes and blankets, etc. The shop is r... http://t.co/hL1XntUN
    • whoseview_com: atest Review: Beware! Cleaners: The quality of their service is top notch. The customer service is supreme an... http://t.co/Hs8bQJhI

Bookmark and Subscribe

  • Bookmark and Share
  • Irish Blogs
  • Subscribe