Looksmart Expands Suite of Site Maker Tools for Web Developers; My Search and Pay-Per-Click Are Added to Looksmart's Services

Business Wire, May 12, 1999

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 12, 1999--

Looksmart(SM), the Internet's largest directory of quality Web sites, today announced the addition of My Search and Pay-Per-Click to Looksmart's suite of site-building tools.

Looksmart now offers 13 services for Web developers, most are free.

The cornerstone of Looksmart's offerings is that its Web directory of 750,000 quality Web sites is available for Web developers. Currently more than 1.5 million Web developers have accessed Looksmart's suite of tools, which focus on helping developers build, promote and generate revenue to their site.

Free Internal Search

The new, free My Search tool offers users the opportunity to search the Web developer's site. Looksmart's My Search is a first of its kind, requiring no technical knowledge or set-up costs, and was jointly developed with whatUseek, a Michigan-based Web development company.

Cash Incentives and Site Functionality

The Pay-Per-Click program gives Web developers two cents per click when users search or explore Looksmart from the Web developer's site. Offering Looksmart search on the developer's homepage expands site functionality and gives users another reason to revisit the site, helping create user loyalty.

"Looksmart is dedicated to building lasting relationships with the Web developer community and hopes to become a premiere destination site for developers," said Evan Thornley, co-founder and CEO of Looksmart. "We will continue to add new services to help Web developers attract and maintain users, reinforce the Looksmart brand and increase our site offerings."

Looksmart's suite of webmaster services can be accessed at www.beseen.com

About Looksmart

Looksmart is a leading, independent portal with 750,000 unique URLs -- the largest collection of editorially reviewed and categorized sites on the Web. Founded in 1995, Looksmart has grown from a top 1000 Web property to a Top 25 Web property in the past year, and currently has more than 8 million pageviews a day.

Looksmart's audience represents the New Media Family(TM), attracting more than 60 percent female Web users. The company has a unique distribution strategy, generating revenue through its Looksmart.com site, as well as through licensing its directory to major portals such as MSN, AltaVista and @Home, a global network of ISPs and through viral marketing.

With more than 400 employees worldwide, key investors include Amerindo Investment Advisors, Cox Interactive Media, Macquarie Bank Groupoksmart, visit www.looksmart.com.