ChaCha teams with Localeze for local biz info

Free mobile answers service ChaCha announced new homepage functionality providing detailed information on more than 15 million businesses across the U.S. The listings--supplied by local search listings identity manager Localeze--promise ChaCha visitors access to Google Maps, directions, phone numbers and related information, available via either search bar or direct listings page. Business listings can be viewed by category, state and city; additionally, content pages will feature questions and answers related to a given business.

ChaCha notes that it plans to introduce additional local features in the months ahead, enabling businesses to ‘claim' their listing and upgrade it with online and mobile coupons, text-based VIP lists, and demographic- and behavioral-targeted SMS-text advertising.

Earlier this month, ChaCha announced the launch of three Application Programming Interfaces granting developers free access to its database of SMS- and web-based queries and responses. According to ChaCha, the APIs--QuickChaCha Answers (query the API with a specific question, get an answer instantly), TopChaCha Answers (query the API with a general topic or keywords for the most popular answers) and ChaCha Trends (query the API to discover what users are asking about)--enable publishers to customize questions and answers around a given subject and post it in a simple interface, with ChaCha-derived information displaying live on the screen or within an app as selected. ChaCha adds that its database is updated in near real-time, providing up-to-the-minute insight into what is on the minds of consumers--the firm currently delivers over 50 million impressions each month to more than 2.2 million mobile users.

For more on the ChaCha/Localeze deal:
- read this release

Related articles:
ChaCha answers 150 million queries in 18 months
ChaCha debuts mobile advertising solution