Spotzer Pivots Into Web Site Production

The Dutch-based online video player Spotzer has taken what is has learned about efficient process management in video product and is applying it to the high volume production of Web sites.

Spotzer, which is part owned by European Directories, is launching a Web site creation service in partnership with Websplanet that utilizes an inventory of category-specific content along with an exclusivity management engine that prevents businesses in like categories and geographies from sharing the same copy and images in their Web sites. It is a very similar process that Spotzer used to produce videos of high production values while bypassing the bottleneck that often occurs when buyers drag their feet in setting up video shoots, and so on.

European Directories will be the first client for the Spotzer/Websplanet offering.

Spotzer CEO Andy Klein told us that his company can produce a “first draft” site using its category specific content in a matter of minutes. This is sent to the SMB and used as a starting point for a customer service rep who contacts the business and walks it through the process of customizing the site with its own content.

Klein spotted an opportunity in Web sites because of the emphasis many publishes are placing on Web sites as a centerpiece of their relationship with SMBs.

“Now we are seeing the Yellow Pages publishers get more ambitious about Web sites,” Klein said. But Klein believes self-service cookie-cutter sites are not the solution, since most are suboptimal and are often abandoned within a year. However, professional sites that are well optimized tend to be costly and take time to produce. He believes Spotzer has found a sweet spot in between with a more professionally produced template-based product that can be easily updated at the advertisers’ direction.

Example of a "First Draft" Website