February 1, 2000

US buyer collars SearchHound

SOUTH Australian e-commerce developer WebGenie has sold its SearchHound Internet search engine to US e-commerce company TVI Shop for $6 million.

As part of the deal, WebGenie (www.webgenie.com) has retained the rights to develop SearchHound, which was launched 18 months ago as the world's first childproof search engine.

SearchHound's developers spent nothing on advertising or marketing the product. Instead, WebGenie collaborated with joint venture partner Aesop Marketing Corp of Los Angeles, which believes the Web can and should be used for "zero-cost" promotion.

Aesop chief executive Mark Joyner said companies wasted millions of dollars on advertising when they could be using the web's built-in promotional tools.

These no-cost marketing tactics were now being used as a sales tool for SearchHound and WebGenie's other big seller, Shopping Cart Professional.

WebGenie chief executive Dr Siva Prasad says the SearchHound sale will help finance further e-commerce related development.

"The value is clear to e-commerce companies when you can combine easy-to-use technology with a proven marketing system," he said.

SearchHound blocks adult only Web sites and posts a warning before revealing the results of a search for adult terms. Parents can use a password to block the display completely.

It also incorporates a relatively new concept that enables Webmasters to "bid" for URLs, giving their sites priority during searches.

Dr Prasad said the soon-to-be released WebGenie Plaza would offer low-cost entry into e-commerce for small businesses, even those not connected to the Net. "Businesses only need a fax machine to receive orders," he said.

By Leila Henderson