Locallife showcases Isle of Wight to the world

Newport, 14th February 2008. Locallife Isle of Wight, an online guide to the island, is providing both locals and visitors with all the information they need to make the most of life on the island. It provides comprehensive listings of local businesses, from hairdressers and restaurants to plumbers and party planners. However, unlike traditional business directories, the website aims to provide a forum for the local community.

David Acheson, managing director of the Locallife franchise on the Isle of Wight, says the community element is key to the site’s success. Locallife Isle of Wight has already publicised over 550 community services, sports clubs and charities for free. It is also helping to promote the island internationally with previous online campaigns including windsurfing, kite surfing and sailing on the Isle of Wight.

For businesses wanting a more in-depth online presence but who are new to the internet, Locallife provides its clients with a free web page to get them started, with images, a map and information such as price lists. Being part of a powerful online directory helps a small organisation get a strong presence on a search engine such as Google that they alone would not get. The online directory is proving popular among the local business community and has at present over 8,000 companies and organisations to date. “Many customers have told us that the website listing has increased their business. In terms of the number of people who view our website, it has gone up from 25,000 hits a month when we started in November 2006 to 92,000 in January 2008 and it is increasing month by month,” Mr Acheson commented.

As well as acting as an online forum for the local community, tourists to the island can get all the information they need on planning their holiday in advance. “Searching the web can often be like looking for a needle in a haystack. By putting all the information on the Isle of Wight together in one place in a way that is easy to navigate, Locallife is proving to be an essential hub of information for visitors and locals alike,” added Mr Acheson.

Locallife Isle of Wight
The Innovation Centre
St. Cross Business Park
Newport, Isle of Wight
PO30 5WB
Tel 01983 550562
www.locallife.co.uk/isleofwight

For interviews or a high resolution photograph, please contact
Petra Lemm, c/o Small World Communications
4 St. Edmunds' Cottages, Church Road
Ryde, Isle of Wight, PO33 4AA, UK
Tel +44 1983 885173
Fax +44 1983 885150
E-Mail: petra.lemm@small-world-communications.com
www.small-world-communications.com

Locallife.co.uk is a family-owned business that started in Southend six years ago. There are now 325 sites in the UK, each covering a particular area. The franchise is expanding internationally. All community/non-commercial websites can link to the Locallife network for free.

Small World Communications is a PR consultancy specialising in tourism, sport and leisure. The team consists of British and German journalists, editors and authors of travel literature. Based on the Isle of Wight, the firm advises on all aspects of communication including media relations, corporate publishing, intercultural communication, editorial content and proof reading. It has an extensive network of contacts in both the British and German media.

This release was published on openPR.