Yodle was an American company which sold online marketing, generally to small businesses, in the U.S. and Canada. As of the end of 2014, the company had more than 1,200 employees, and reported an annual revenue of $163 million. The company was founded by Nathaniel Stevens, Milind Mehere, Ben Rubenstein, Kartik Hosanagar and John Berkowitz in 2005. The company was previously called 'NatPal', but changed its name in 2007.
Foundation and history
In 2005, Nathaniel Stevens and Ben Rubenstein launched the business which was "not going well" until a local dentist hired them. The company shifted focus to "doctors, lawyers, as well as other local businesses". and thereafter expanded, changing the name from 'NatPal', to Yodle.
In an interview, Cunningham stated that Yodle's goal was to "double the value of our product every eighteen months". In 2013, Yodle was listed #28 on Forbes's 2013 'America's Most Promising Companies' list, and was ranked 21 on Deloitte Technology's '2011 Fast 500 Ranking' list due to its rapid growth.
The company has offices in Austin, Texas, Charlotte, North Carolina, Scottsdale, Arizona, and Atlanta, Georgia; with headquarters in New York, New York.
In July 2014, Yodle filed a Form S-1 and an S-1/A with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as one of the first steps in an IPO.
Web.com announced that it had completed its acquisition of Yodle on March 9, 2016.
Services
The company helps smaller, local businesses with mobile-optimized website listings on search engines, paid search advertising and Search engine optimization. Yodle also offers retention marketing following the company's acquisition of Lighthouse Practice Management Group.
OutRank by Rogers
In 2011, a partnership was formed between Rogers Communications and Yodle to provide a suite of digital marketing services to Canadian small business. These solutions have been deployed under the name OutRank by Rogers and operate as a business unit within the company.
In early 2016, Yodle announced that it had re-acquired Outrank. In November 2016, The Rogers Outrank website and related digital assets cease to function prompting questions surrounding whether Rogers Outrank is still doing business in Canada.
Awards
Yodle won 15 awards in 2013, including the Google Adwords Premier SMB Partner.
References
