aroundyou.com.au

aroundyou.com.au

Robert Beerworth | 12/11/2010

Local search is the holy grail of the Internet. Results that are granular, local and immediately relevant based on where you and what you want.

Plenty of people have attempted it. Indeed, the mobile internet – applications and mobile websites – are the latest effort; Foursquare, ‘Local Deals’ and the like. Ping me when there is a deal at the restaurant I just walked by, and so forth.

Local search is hard however. After all, when was the last time you searched your suburb… probably not recently? And that is the problem.

That’s why it’s the holy grail… that untouched part of life that the Internet plays little part. We walk to the local shops and we don’t need the Internet to help with that.

Aroundyou.com.au takes a different approach.

It leverages the quite instinctive and common ‘what’s on in sydney’ search approach, and overlays it with content and functionality that completely localises the experience. It also has the advantage of very significant quantum of content, something very few websites actually achieve.

Finally, it includes the sort of content you don’t normally find in ‘what’s on’ websites; yoga classes, talks at libraries and cooking schools. It is comprehensive, relevant and engaging.

Awesome.

I’m spruiking the website because Wiliam designed the front-end.

Though I am especially spruiking it, because despite the murkiness and question marks around the sustainability of local websites and the ‘local’ strategy, if you’re going win in the space, you need to do it right.

And this website – from design to content to functionality – does it damn right. And damn well.

Well done.

tags: Web Design