Richmond.com Press Release

Decmeber 19, 2001

Richmond.com Launches New, Improved Site City Portal Offering Innovative Marketing Strategies

Richmond.com is proud to announce the redesign of the city's online guide. The new and improved website will better serve Richmond citizens and businesses alike with its intuitive, easy-to-navigate and user-friendly format. With well over 100,000 unique visitors generating over 5 million pages of content to user requests each month, Richmond.com has quickly proven it reflects both the personality and interests of the Richmond marketplace at large. It has fast become a favorite website for Richmonders as well as an invaluable resource for local advertisers seeking affordable, innovative ways to reach their target audience.

What sets Richmond.com apart from national city search engines is that local, central Virginia businesses can literally "own" a piece of Richmond.com and reach their target markets without investing in other costly marketing initiatives that struggle to provide a return on investment. It has developed a unique sponsorship package that allows its clients to weave their brand, message and marketing initiatives into interest specific, high-traffic verticals, or categories, of the Richmond.com site. Because of its integrated and targeted approach, the vertical sponsorship is the most effective way for businesses and organizations to increase awareness, loyalty and brand penetration while realizing a true return on investment in the Richmond market.

Partnering with local business organizations, Richmond.com provides the community a wide variety of features and services under one, recognizable roof and positions its marketing partners out in front of Richmond's established online marketplace.

"Richmond.com's 5 million page views a month directs an enormous amount of traffic to our member companies through its Shopping Vertical. Through our partnership with Richmond.com, our retailers and service providers have achieved 24 hour, 7 day-a- week exposure in the online marketplace. With its interactive features and mapping capabilities, Richmond.com's Shopping Vertical has become a vital tool for the region's merchants and consumers." William H. Baxter, President/CEO, Retail Merchants Association

"Through our partnership with Richmond.com we have seen a nearly 50% increase in traffic to our home listings. By maintaining the term "real estate" as a high level category on the main home page of their website, Richmond.com has ensured that the visitors to our site are not just curious browsers, but qualified buyers who are in our target market of people who will be purchasing a home in the next 12 months. We would not have been able to generate this type of exposure on our own, without significant expenditure. Thanks to Richmond.com we have been able to meet our traffic and exposure goals for home listings for the year, and helped to ensure that home buyers and sellers in the Richmond market have access to a vast resource of qualified REALTORS(r) to help them in their transaction." Will Turnage, Director of Marketing for the Richmond Association of Realtors

"The University of Richmond is excited about our partnership with Richmond.com. As the leading private university in the region, we want to communicate to a wide spectrum of the local community to let them know about the outstanding educational opportunities, stellar arts programs and dynamic sporting events we offer. Richmond.com makes this possible." Dan Kalmanson, Associate Vice President for University Communications, University of Richmond

"Virginians across the land had an opportunity to see a "touch of the Fair," as one former Virginian in Hawaii wrote after visiting Richmond.com. She especially enjoyed logging in each day and viewing the various cam shots. As you know, ARE owns the StateFair.com designation. Therefore, we receive e-mails from across the world concerning the state fair offerings. Richmond.com added a new dimension with the 24 hour cam that allowed the Virginia State Fair message to reach across the country." Otis Brown, President, Atlantic Rural Exposition

Richmond.com does what no other medium can do in offering local businesses and organizations - regardless of size or web experience - the chance to take full advantage of Richmond's established online marketplace. In offering its partners the opportunity to own a piece of Richmond.com - a concept foreign to other opportunities that exist in the marketplace - Richmond.com is succeeding in literally bringing the entire city online.

Richmond.com is a locally owned and operated company in Richmond, Virginia.

For information contact: megan.brackett@corp.richmond.com
Phone: (804) 355-4500