Upcoming Australian Service Web Site

Given the dominance of American-centric and Euro-centric websites on
the internet, we Australians sometimes overlook some of the initiatives
that are happening locally. The number of Aussie pure web plays that
make it big globally are few and far between (Hitwise would be one of
the few that comes to mind).

But you don’t  necessarily have to go global to make a great web based
service, in fact there is an increasing focus on websites which
deliver localized content. And what could be more local than getting
your house fixed up, your garden landscaped or – shudder the thought –
getting your toilet fixed?

Not surprising then I read about ServiceCentral.com.au winning the
Australian E-Business of the Year award. Checking out the site I was
impressed, it’s well coded, functionally great and aesthetically
pleasing.

Basically Service Central is like a middleman between the consumer and
tradespeople. You post your job, and their system puts you in contact
with up to 3 service providers who service your area. Considering I’m
halfway through landscaping my yard (still considering whether to put
in some sort of patio), this seems like a great idea. It takes all the
hassle out of finding providers, and is further proof as to why the
Yellow Pages model of advertising is doomed, and the web will
increasingly be dominated by sites which mix service based offerings
with localized content.

So I can add another Australian website that I shall be watching in
2009, of course there are still quite a few more to add to that
basket…

www.servicecentral.com.au