Google, Yahoo All Wrong With Local Search

[garyp]

Searching for profits: Companies see future in localizing the Internet
Puget Sound Business Journal
http://www.bizjournals.com/industries/high_tech/internet/2004/08/23/seattle_story3.html


...But the founder of 2-year-old startup Offers Network Inc., Torrey Russell, says Yahoo and Google are going about local search all wrong.

"It's critical to really think about how Google and Yahoo will try to aggregate local merchants," Russell said. "How will they attract local advertisers that don't yet have a Web presence and only want to spend $15 on an ad?"

Offers Network, a search engine whose software automates the online advertising process, has devised its own strategy to reach local businesses. It plans to capitalize on the community newspaper market.

Infospace and Marchex are also mentioned in the article.

[seobook]

How will they attract local advertisers that don't yet have a Web presence and only want to spend $15 on an ad?

Granted there is a single one time deposit of $20 (which is $5 more than his $15 example) but perhaps people could use Overture LocalMatch?
http://www.content.overture.com/d/USm/ays/lm.jhtml

[Paul]

Interesting article. I'll give an opinion-only take at it.

I definitely wouldn't say that Google and Yahoo have it all wrong. seobook makes a good point on Local Match (I'm still laughing at the quote) :D . IYP's can be decent as well, and is usually localized. Plus, like it or not, people like to use Google and Yahoo. Maybe I'd call it a supplement to other local search techniques.

It doesn't look like they're targeting the Seattle Times or Houston Chronicle, but rather local community papers/sites like they are doing in their Seattle area.

In a previous life, I worked for a company that marketed Personals columns for newspapers and their respective websites (made for interesting marketing meetings) :) . The best returns per visitor were from these local community sites. And, contacts at these papers were 'generally' more apt to web techniques that they could outsource, since they don't necessarily have the budget to do it themselves. I'm sure that's a plus for this company. Although, this was 4-5 years ago which probably means 20 years ago in non-Internet time.

I didn't look too far in it, but if it's only 15 bucks, I'd sign up through whichever community paper is here. If I was a small business in Woodinville, WA, it sure wouldn't be my only option.

[garyp]

And speaking of newspapers and search...
word of a new local shopping search engine called Setp.com from CrossMedia Services.

CrossMedia is owned by three large newspaper chains:
Tribune Co.,
Gannett,
and Knight-Ridder.

http://forums.searchenginewatch.com/showthread.php?t=1183