Business.com is a digital media company and B2B web destination which offers various performance marketing advertising, including lead generation products on a pay per lead and pay per click basis, directory listings,[1] and display advertising. The site covers business industry news and trends for growth companies and the B2B community to stay up-to-date, and hosted more than 15,000 pieces of content as of November 2014. Business.com operates as a subsidiary of the Purch Group since being acquired in 2016.[2]
Having sold their brands to Future, Purch's existing B2B assets later reorganised into Business.com.[3]
Business.com struggled through the Dot-com bubble years.[9] The company retooled beginning in 2002 after massive layoffs and a new focus on developing a pay for performance ad network model.[10] In April 2003, the company achieved profitability, and on November 8, 2004, the company secured an additional $10 million in venture capital funding from Benchmark Capital.
Having purchased the domain in 2001,[11][12] Business.com launched Work.com on October 9, 2006. The site included business how-to guides contributed by the small business community.[13] Work.com was sold in March 2012 and is now a corporate performance management platform owned by Salesforce.[14][15][16]
In June 2009, R.H. Donnelley filed for bankruptcy.[19] The company emerged from Chapter 11 as Dex One Corporation on February 1, 2010.[20] In February 2011, Resource Nation acquired the brand and associated assets of Business.com. JMI Equity provided funding in support of the transaction.[21]
In January 2013, the appointment of Tony Uphoff as CEO was announced.[22] In March 2013, Business.com launched a site refresh, new logo and new suite of products.[23] New content management, analytics, and big data platforms were introduced in August 2014.[24]
In June 2016, Business.com was acquired by Purch Group.[25] When Future plc acquired Purch's consumer properties in 2018, Business.com was not included and was instead spun off as an independent company.[26]
Content
Business.com produces daily content to help business owners plan, launch, manage, and grow their businesses.[27] Staff reporters and market experts provide insight on the latest news and discussions around marketing, human resources, technology, entrepreneurship, sales, and finance.[28]
Business.com also features objective reviews, roundups, and buying guides for business products to help business owners make purchasing decisions.[29] The site also includes tools for calculating payroll deductions,[30] stock options,[31] and cash flow.[32]
In December, 2014, the company launched LENS, a lead expansion and nurturing service, as part of their demand generation product set.[34]
Awards and recognition
Business.com has been named as a Best Place to Work by the San Diego Business Journal in 2012, 2013, 2014.[35] In October 2014, the website was ranked #1 on Inc.com's '50 Websites Your Startup Needs to Succeed'.[36]