MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA--(MARKET WIRE)--Jan 13, 2009 -- Quova, Inc., the leading provider of Internet geolocation data services, today announced that WyzAnt, a national provider of private tutoring services, is using the Quova On-Demand IP geolocation service to localize content, seamlessly connecting students with tutors that match their location, need and budget. Implemented as part of a major Web overhaul initiative, Quova's geolocation data enables WyzAnt to pinpoint the IP address of each visitor, down to a zip code level, and display a landing page featuring tutors in their local area, greatly improving WyzAnt's conversion rates.
Since its inception in 2005, WyzAnt has helped more than 20,000 people in more than 2,500 cities find, contact and hire a certified tutor for a fraction of the cost of competing directories. With more than 12,000 tutors listed in all major academic disciplines, WyzAnt has administered over 40,000 hours of tutoring services. In addition to helping individual consumers, WyzAnt also helps enterprises, schools and non-profit institutions meet their training and staffing needs. The tutoring and test prep industry is estimated to surpass $40 billion in 2008 (1) and WyzAnt is well positioned to take advantage of this opportunity. Additionally, WyzAnt lists teachers for musical instruments, athletics and other disciplines.
WyzAnt was previously using geolocation data from MaxMind, but found it to not be accurate. "The MaxMind data showed a visitor from the Chicago area as being in Hammond, Indiana. We needed a more accurate solution," said Michael Weishuhn, CTO and co-founder of WyzAnt.
WyzAnt relies heavily on search engine optimization (SEO) and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising to drive visitors to its Web site, and has more then 60 versions of search ads. The small company spends more then $30,000 per month on advertising. "At a cost of $1.50 to $2.00 per click, spending less then 1 cent to have that ad localized and send that person to the right location is worth it," said Weishuhn. "Additionally, WyzAnt has seen a 50% improvement in conversion rates since we've deployed Quova's data."
The company has multiple versions of landing pages that appear different to each user based on their location. The dynamically driven pages are based on the PPC ad or search keyword and display relevant content listing the tutors available in their area.
"WyzAnt was founded on the principle that finding and hiring a qualified tutor should be easy, efficient and affordable. With Quova's IP geolocation data we can now more effectively direct visitors to the services they need and pass the cost savings directly to our customers," said Andrew Geant, CEO and co-founder of WyzAnt.
"Many companies have dismissed the idea of marketing on the Internet because they didn't realize they could target their products to the local market," said Marie Alexander, CEO of Quova. "By geotargeting their landing pages to focus on the specific tutors and services available in a given area, WyzAnt has been able to reduce their advertising costs and increase their conversions."
About WyzAnt
WyzAnt is a web-based tutor-student matching service, helping parents and students find qualified in-home tutors at affordable rates. In addition to one-on-one tutoring, WyzAnt also assists enterprises, schools and non-profit institutions meet their training and staffing needs. Since the company's incorporation in 2005, WyzAnt has helped over 20,000 people in more than 2,500 U.S. cities find, contact and hire certified tutors. WyzAnt has more than 12,000 tutors' nationwide offering services in all major academic disciplines from pre-school through graduate level studies. Services available on WyzAnt include but are not limited to: test prep, foreign languages, elementary education, computer software and programming, musical instruments, special needs, corporate training and sports/recreation subjects. WyzAnt Inc., founded in 2005, is based in Chicago, Illinois, and is privately owned. http://WyzAnt.com/
About Quova, Inc.
Quova, Inc. enables online businesses to instantly identify where a visitor to their Web site is geographically located. Major e-retailers, ad networks, banks, and government agencies integrate Quova's data into their Web applications to geo-target their advertising and content, detect identify theft and card-not-present fraud, manage digital content distribution, comply with local laws and more. Quova delivers detailed demographic and network characteristic data about an IP address, down to a city area. The data is 99.9% accurate at the country level and 96% accurate at the US State level (independent research conducted by Pricewaterhouse Coopers). Quova, founded in 2000, is based in Mountain View, California, and is privately owned. http://www.quova.com/
(1) 2009 Barnes Reports: US Exam Preparation and Tutoring Industry
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