PAGESJAUNES : SoLocal Group recognised as an Elite Partner in the Bing Partner Program

Guaranteeing exclusive access to training courses, marketing support mechanisms and the latest API Bing and Microsoft technologies, this badge enables the teams of SoLocal Group to optimise still further the quality of their expertise in Bing Ads3 and the effectiveness of the service they provide to their 500,000 clients in France and Spain (via its subsidiary QDQ media based in Madrid).

Resolutely committed to the digitalisation of very small and medium-sized enterprises, in obtaining this badge SoLocal Group has demonstrated its ability to meet their needs in terms of Search Advertising support. A lead market which today represents globally more than 50% of corporate digital advertising4 investment and acts as a priority lever for the clients and prospects of SoLocal Group and Bing.

'We are proud to be recognised as a privileged partner of Microsoft thanks to having obtained the Elite label in the Bing Partner Program. This recognition attests to the leadership of SoLocal Group on the local digital communication market. The synergies between Bing Ads and our Product Lines create value for very small and medium-sized enterprises and business networks. The clients of our Booster Site offer benefit from qualified traffic on their Internet sites thanks in particular to the visibility we provide them from the very first results of the requests made on Bing', explained Pascal Garcia, Secretary General of SoLocal Group in charge of strategic partnerships.

'We are very happy to have SoLocal Group in our Partner Program as an Elite Partner. Thanks to its mastery of the Bing Ads technologies and its know-how in Search Advertising, SoLocal Group provides our clients and partners with outstanding advice and support. It contributes actively to the Search Advertising dynamic in which Bing already represents more than 15% of market share in France', said Alex Sinson, Director of Sales, Bing Ads France, Microsoft.

Key figures

*SoLocal Group generated a turnover of 812 million euros in 2016, of which 80% on the Internet, and is thus classed among the leading European actors in terms of Internet advertising revenue

*SoLocal Group generated 2.4 billion visits to its sites in 2016, of which 45% from a mobile

*Bing is the 2nd most used search engine in the world with 15% of market share in France

*Adoption rate of Bing Ads increased by +35%

1Search Marketing or Search Engine Marketing (SEM) brings together all the techniques aimed at the favourable positioning of commercial offers, Internet sites, mobile applications or other contents (images, video, news) on the response pages of search engines relating to requests

2Bing's advertising network is called the Bing Network and comprises Yahoo!, AOL as well as partner networks.

3Sponsored links.

4 Source: eMarketer

SoLocal Group, European leader in local online communication, reveals local know-how, and boosts local revenues of businesses. The Internet activities of the Group are structured around two business lines: Local Search and Digital Marketing. With Local Search, the Group offers digital services and solutions to clients which enable them to enhance their visibility and develop their local contacts. Thanks to its expertise, SoLocal Group earned the trust of some 490,000 clients of those services and over 2.4 billions of visits via its 4 flagship brands (PagesJaunes, Mappy, Ooreka and A Vendre A Louer) but also through its partnerships. With Digital Marketing, SoLocal Group creates and provides the best local and customised content about professionals. With over 4,400 employees, including a new orders force of 1,900 local communication advisors specialised in five verticals (Home, Services, Retail, Health & Public, BtoB) and Internationally (France, Spain, Austria, United Kingdom), the Group generated in 2016 revenues of 812 millions euros, of which 80% on Internet and ranks amongst the first European players in terms of Internet advertising revenues. SoLocal Group is listed on Euronext Paris (LOCAL). More information may be obtained at www.solocalgroup.com.

https://advertise.bingads.microsoft.com/fr-fr

Press contacts SoLocal Group

Delphine Penalva

Directrice de la communication dpenalva@solocal.com

Edwige Druon

Responsable des relations presse edruon@solocal.com

01 46 23 37 56