About.com, a leading resource for everyday advice on a wide array of topics, has reportedly bought ConsumerSearch for $33 million in cash.
ConsumerSearch is a product meta-reviews site, aggregating reviews from across the web and in printed publications, to offer a systematic "review of reviews" for consumers. Their reports on various reviews bring forth a quick and comprehensive overview of what is being said about a particular product. The ConsumerSearch editorial staff oversees the reviews on their site, and they report that they generated about 25 million page views in Q1, with three million unique monthly visitors.
Founded in 2000, ConsumerSearch received its first round of financing led by Web Utility Partners among others. The purchase of ConsumerSearch by About.com is part of a larger strategy for the company. Other purchases by About.com include UCompareHealthCare and Calorie-Count.com. Others in the consumer product review realm are Wize, Testfreaks, Krillion, ProductWiki and Buzzillions.