In a move that gives real estate startup Zoopla more local muscle, the company has signed a “long-term strategic partnership” with regional publisher Archant.

The deal will see Zoopla power Archant’s online property channel homes24.co.uk, giving even more exposure to estate agents utilizing the property search engine. As well as operating a number of property websites of its own – many through acquisition – Zoopla already has similar partnerships with MSN, Yahoo, TalkTalk, Sky, Virgin Media, UpMyStreet and The Guardian.

Archant’s 60+ local and regional newspapers include the Eastern Daily Press and weekly titles such as the Ham & High, as well as 80 regional magazines including Cotswold Life and Devon Life. In addition to dead tree media, Archant has an online portfolio of over 200 websites.

Zoopla says that under the terms of the deal, Archant will make a “significant investment” in promoting the homes24.co.uk brand via its online and offline media presence, while Zoopla will take responsibility for operating the site, which won’t launch until early March.