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May 13, 2008
Superpages.com Launches Desktop WidgetSuperpages.com has launched a Yahoo! Widget to provide easy local searching. The results come up right in the widget and once a business is clicked on, users will see reviews, maps and a business profile.
This is the latest effort by Superpages.com to adapt to an ever-changing marketplace. Previously, the company has developed Superpages.com applications for mobile phones, including Blackberry. Superpages also has a Google Gadget and a Browser Toolbar.
Posted by Nathania Johnson at 9:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
April 15, 2008
Zvents blends local search with current eventsOne of the companies exhibiting at Ad:Tech San Francisco this week is Zvents, a local search engine company that specializes in things to do in big cities big and small towns. According to Paul O'Brien, VP of Marketing for Zvents, his local search engine is helping businesses draw foot traffic to their stores, restaurants and events all across the county.
That's a bold claim -- so I asked to see a demo for Boston events. My bad. It turns out Boston.com is one of the publisher partners for Zvents, along with the San Jose Mercury News, LA.com, and the Detroit News, to name a few.
So, then I asked to see upcoming events for Nevada City, CA. Umm. My bad again. It turns out that The English Beat is playing Saturday, April 19, at Miners Foundry.
Paul told me that Zvents is built on the premise that the Internet is rich in searchable experiences — until you want to find out what’s happening where you live. Then it often falls flat.
Let’s face it, Yellowpages.com provides listings, but it doesn't provide “news” about those businesses. Meanwhile, TV and newspaper ads contain information about upcoming sales, product deliveries, lectures and in-store events, etc., but this useful information is generally not searchable on the Internet.
Zvents has jumped into this gap to solve this problem.
How? Zvents has scooped up hundreds of media partners such as ones mentioned above along with more than 250 other media channels to create the Zvents Media Network. In a two-way exchange of information, Zvents’ collects partner content, and at the same time uploads its own listings on partner sites. It also collects event and business information from the open web, and the user-generated content to create one of the most comprehensive localized search indexes on the Internet. Zvents built its platform using their own technology (Gordon Rios, the CTO, worked at Inktomi). And the company recently launched "Federated Local Search," making Zvents the first to provide a localized version of Google’s Universal Search. Federated (or blended) search presents results that include images, text, local reviews, events, news, and business listings for a comprehensive search experience.
Large companies like REI benefit. Just Google REI Saratoga and you'll find the first search results page is littered with Zvents and its partners' listings.
And small companies benefit, too. Patric Douglas, the owner of Sharkdiver, is sold on Zvents. For his adventure shark tours, he doesn’t need to spend a dollar on advertising, because he’s an Internet-savvy marketer. One of the key resources he uses is Zvents. “When I post my excursions on Zvents, Sharkdiver jumps to the top of the Google search page. It’s like being the only swimmer wearing a pink swimsuit in a pool full of blue bathing suits.”
At Ad:Tech, Zvents is unveiling its paid advertising platform. Businesses can now run display ads and enhanced listings, and Zvents’ partners will share in the advertising revenues. Check 'em out. Their booth is # 5684.
Posted by Greg Jarboe at 8:46 PM | Permalink
April 11, 2008
As Wifi expands, local and mobile search continue to emergeLately, there have been a swarm of announcements regarding Wifi coming to some previously unconnected spots. Jet Blue is testing limited wifi on one of its planes. California has installed Wifi in several of its state parks. And major metropolitan areas are adding Wifi to their transit systems. So what does this mean for Search Engine Marketers? A focus on local and mobile search.
Imagine this. A family has gone camping at a California State Park, but they didn’t pack enough food or they need additional supplies. Will your business come up in the search results? Recently, Google released information that the average search query had increased from three to four words. It’s quite possible that the fourth word turns a general search into a local one by adding a city, state or other location.
With so much attention given to universal search, personalization and social media these days, it might be easy to overlook local and mobile. But the expansion of Wifi is just further proof that SEO and paid search campaigns need the care of a constant gardener.
Related reading: Mobile Local Search: A Perfect Storm Marchex Shows How to Cash In on Local Search The 411 on Local Search Data for Business Mobile Search Fortune Seekers
Posted by Nathania Johnson at 10:51 AM | Permalink
SEW Experts: Think Universal, Act LocalMuch of the discussion around Universal search, or blended search, focuses on video and images. In today's Vertical Search column, "Think Universal, Act Local," local search expert Michael Boland explains why local search may be a more important factor; one that has the greatest impact in blended search results.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 2:00 AM | Permalink
March 18, 2008
Marchex Shows How to Cash In on Local SearchSo far, in the poker game that is doing business on the internet, four cards have been dealt: Communications, Search, Commerce and Social Networking. But the fifth card is sliding out of the dealer's hand and Marchex bets it's going to be local search.
In a new study, "2008 Perspectives on Local Online Advertising and Content," Marchex predicts local search will be the next big thing, and has identified five trends that are driving its growth:
- The accelerating adoption of online advertising by small businesses
- National advertisers expanding their presence in local markets online
- Delivering phone calls to businesses across online and offline media
- More effectively connecting consumers with local businesses
- Greater efficiencies due to consolidation and innovation
What should you do to play your cards right in the local market? Marchex recommends:
- Speak the local language
- Understand the impact of online advertising on offline transactions
- Recognize that most commercial searches have local intent
- Set different goals and expectations for local campaigns
- Understand your local strategy
One of the most significant concepts is the ability to provide answers on a local level. The report says:
Local content will provide answers to community related questions: "What's the status of construction down the street, and how will it impact my commute?" or "Where's the best place to park when I go to the away soccer game this Saturday?"And the marriage of mobile with local search will be, unlike a quickie union at a Vegas wedding chapel, a solid one:
Mobile will extend the applicability of content originally developed "by locals for locals" to travelers who seek an insider's edge on how to get the most enjoyment out of their visit to a given neighborhood.Facilitating all of this will be local conversations, useful to permanent residents and visitors alike. Enter social media.
Ultimately, five of a kind is the best hand you can get. That's why diversification and integration across all internet channels remains your best bet.
Posted by Nathania Johnson at 1:58 PM | Permalink
March 14, 2008
SEW Experts: Universal Pictures Part II: Sizing up the Local Video MarketLast month, we looked at the opportunity for SMBs to use universal search to their advantage by producing and distributing online video. But what is the size of this local video market? In today's Vertical Search column, "Universal Pictures Part II: Sizing up the Local Video Market," local search expert Michael Boland crunches the numbers to define how much of the overall video ad market is also local.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink
February 15, 2008
SEW Experts: Universal Pictures: Optimizing Video for SearchWe hear a lot about universal search and how it will keep SEO professionals on their toes with constantly evolving ranking algorithms. So how can local online advertisers take advantage of universal search? In today's Vertical Challenge column, "Universal Pictures: Optimizing Video for Search," local search expert Michael Boland explains that creating optimized online video is a great opportunity for local marketers that are on top of their SEO game.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink
January 11, 2008
SEW Experts: Local Search Lives or Dies by User ReviewsIn the old days, consumer opinions regarding personal experiences with businesses were passed around in a practice known as "Word of Mouth" marketing. In today's Vertical Challenge column, "Local Search Lives or Dies by User Reviews," local search expert Gregg Stewart explains that the Internet has transformed word of mouth referrals into user reviews and ratings.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink
December 14, 2007
SEW Experts: Online Video Finds Local SearchHow should local business and national advertisers selling locally think about incorporating video and video search into their ad arsenals? In today's Vertical Challenge column, "Online Video Finds Local Search," local search expert Gregg Stewart points out that now is the perfect time to test the effectiveness of online video in your local search marketing-driven ad campaigns. Costs are still relatively low and online searchers are seeking this ad enhancement out when making local purchase decisions.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink
SEW Experts: Local Search Lead Gen: Yellowpages.com Ingenio-us StrategyLate last month, AT&T purchased pay-per-call search platform and advertising network Ingenio. In today's Vertical Challenge column, "Local Search Lead Gen: Yellowpages.com Ingenio-us Strategy," local search expert Michael Boland discusses what this means for AT&T Yellow Pages and, more importantly, Yellowpages.com, its Internet yellow pages (IYP) counterpart.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink
November 30, 2007
SEW Experts: Local Search: Competing All Over the Map - Part 2While Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft battle for online mapping domination, another competitor is fortifying its position quietly off to the side. In today's Vertical Challenge column, "Local Search: Competing All Over the Map - Part 2," local search expert Michael Boland looks at EveryScape, a new 3-D mapping beta site from MapQuest that could change everything you thought you knew about map-based advertising and local search.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink
November 29, 2007
YellowPages.com Explains Ingenio AcquisitionYellowpage.com CEO Charles Stubbs made a surprise appearance at ILM:07/ SES Local today to talk about AT&T's acquisition of call tracking provider Ingenio.
The acquisition didn't get the mainstream spotlight for the most part; admittedly, it's not the sexiest announcement out there. But it is big, and has gotten a nod in certain local search circles (Kelsey Group post here; and of Frank Watson posted about the deal here on SEW).
This comes down to a unifying call tracking platform to integrate with AT&T disparate media channels including Yellowpages.com, AT&T print directories and directional advertising that will emerge in new places such as IPTV.
"With all of the assets of AT&T, we needed a cross platform ad tool," said Stubbs. "This will be a common business platform to communicate to small business when our local sales reps sit down with them."
Stubbs admitted that selling clicks has been a great business for local (TMP Directional Media CEO Stuart McKelvey later presented data showing that more than 80 percent of local online advertising is resold by yellow pages sales channels). But a call is closer to most small businesses (and to the cash register) than a click is. This is especially true for certain categories such as trade services -- a huge local category.
Ingenio effectively brings this call tracking capability across AT&T media assets:"And Ingenio is more than call tracking," said Stubbs. "It gives us a platform for fraud protection, a self serve ad store and dynamic procurement across assets."
More importantly, it allows AT&T to execute better ad bundling to small businesses including clicks and calls across different forms of media including those mentioned above.
"There is a lot of fragmentation in the way consumers take in content. If we build 20 brands we’ll split our audience," says Stubbs. "This is an attempt to unify our brands. It will be all about execution which won't be easy. But we’ll continue to put smart people on it and get it done."
Posted by Mike Boland at 6:22 PM | Permalink
Citysearch Partners with MerchantCircleCitysearch expanded its reach to small business advertisers and added small business content to its local guides through a deal with MerchantCircle, a social media network for local businesses. Combining Citysearch's high-touch, urban-reaching network with MerchantCircle's low-touch, mostly suburban base, makes for a complementary partnership, according to Citysearch President Jay Herratti.
In today's SearchDay, "Citysearch Looks to MerchantCircle to Complete Picture," Herratti and MerchantCircle chairman Ben Smith share their thoughts on local business search.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 6:18 PM | Permalink
November 28, 2007
YPA Adds Mobile to Local Search GuideAt The Kelsey Group's Interactive Local Media 2007/Search Engine Strategies Local show today in Los Angeles, the Yellow Pages Association launched a mobile section to its Local Search Guide. The Local Search Guide provides information on Internet Yellow Pages, search engines, search tools, vertical directories, and now profiles local mobile tools including voice-based search and free directory assistance providers.
According to a Local Search Guide home page poll, 66 percent of visitors are using mobile phones to search for local information. Of these voters, 37 percent say they use free directory assistance, 17 percent most often use SMS/text messaging and 12 percent say they use downloadable mobile search applications to find local information. An additional 34 percent report not using mobile search because the experience is frustrating.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 9:04 AM | Permalink
November 19, 2007
Poynt Gives New Local Search Option for Windows Live Messenger UsersWindows Live Messenger users have a new option for local search in the U.S.: Poynt. Multiplied Media has teamed with Idearc to deliver Superpages.com's full directory of local U.S. business listings over instant messaging platforms.
To use the service, consumers add the Poynt "buddy" to their contact list in Windows Live Messenger and interact with it like they would their other IM contacts. Once consumers have specified their search location, they enter keywords for the businesses and services they need and results are returned, with those closest to their specified search location listed first.
Poynt has been live in Canada with Yellowpages.ca data. Multiplied Media is currently developing an AOL IM version of Poynt as well.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 10:32 AM | Permalink
November 14, 2007
What Can Local Learn from Universal Search?It remains to be seen how big of a role local search results will play in the blended search results that the major engines have all moved toward. But in the meantime, local content providers can learn a bit about self-promotion by following the search engines' lead.
In today's SearchDay, "What Local Can Learn from Universal Search," The Kelsey Group's Mike Boland looks at the long overdue opportunity to apply the principles of blended search to local search, with LiveDeal as an example of blended local search results.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 4:35 PM | Permalink
November 8, 2007
Here Come the Social Network Ads, Part II: The Local AngleTo follow up on Kevin Newcomb's post earlier this week, there are some interesting local search and small business advertising implications to Facebook's and MySpace's new ad platforms.
First to reiterate, both platforms will seek to utilize users’ level of engagement, combined with the amount of information they make known about themselves through their profiles, interaction with friends and behavior.
But a key part of both ad platforms will also allow advertisers to target users by location. This will mostly be utilized by national advertisers that want to target users in certain geographies, but it could also have implications for small-business advertisers.
Some of these local advertising possibilities for Facebook have already been developed around classifieds, while MySpace has seen some activity around SMBs creating profiles to gain exposure through viral marketing. The new ad platform could create a channel for these businesses to more meaningfully market themselves on MySpace, similar to the way artists and bands have historically done.
One of Facebook's new ad products, Facebook Pages will similarly let small businesses build a profile -- just like an individual would -- which can develop a network of "fans" that connect to the business. Connecting to a business, writing on its "wall" and other activities will be very much the same as individual user profiles. The only difference is that the business has the option to promote that page within the Facebook network by buying demographic, geographic and keyword based targeting.
A newly opened tavern in San Francisco, for example, could target Facebook users between the ages of 25 and 40 that live in the city and have shown through their profile content, a behavioral affinity towards night life, microbrews and "gastropub" fare.
As part of its announcement, MySpace underscored that only 1 million of the 23 million SMBs in the U.S. advertise online, and most of that is search based advertising. Meanwhile MySpace has about 10 million companies of all sizes that have developed profiles on the network. The company is hoping the location-based targeting and other viral marketing capabilities baked into its platform will close the gap on the untapped SMB segment.
For both social networks, this however meets the traditional challenge (explored in an SEW expert column last month) of relying on small businesses to sign up on their own.
It's yet to be seen if this self provisioning challenge — made apparent through SEM — applies to social networking. There is a good chance it will, although it does have the baked in advantage of spreading itself virally as different small businesses get social and connect to one another. At least for MySpace, it won't just be "a place for friends" anymore.
Posted by Mike Boland at 7:01 PM | Permalink
October 25, 2007
Judy's Book to be Sold or ShutteredLocal search pioneer Judy's Book is folding to investor pressure and closing its doors, according to CEO Andy Sack: After 3+ years, our management team and board of directors has decided to scale back our operations at Judy's Book and seek a strategic acquiror. As a CEO, I know this is the right thing to do for our investors. But as an entrepreneur it's disappointing to stop chasing an idea just when it's beginning to take root in the popular consciousness.
Judy's Book launched in 2005 as a local reviews site, and transitioned in the summer of 2006 to a hub for local shopping deals and coupons.
Although full-time employees will be let go, Sack told ClickZ News that he has gotten at least six inquiries from potential buyers, so the site may not be quite dead yet. It won't be easy for the acquirer, he adds. "There's no question that doing something local on the Internet is really friggin hard," he said.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 10:11 AM | Permalink
October 19, 2007
SEW Experts: Searching for a Better Local Ad ModelThe epic battle fought by "online pure-plays" and "brick and mortar" companies moves to a new frontier: local search. Local search products from online pure-plays eventually hit a wall: their ad models rely on self-service. In today's Vertical Challenge column, "Searching for a Better Local Ad Model," local search expert Michael Boland looks at some alternative ad models better suited to the local search market, like combining a comprehensive bundle of ad products with the right high-touch sales force.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink
October 12, 2007
Google Earth Moves Out of the Silent EraYouTube videos continue to get more and more portable as Google integrates them into other search products, and approaches a semblance of return on the $1.65 billion it paid for the video site.
The latest is today's announcement that Google will imbed YouTube videos throughout Google Earth, where geographically relevant. This comes days after the announcement that it will scale YouTube's universe of addressable inventory across the AdSense network. Together, these give YouTube content more places to live, and and more places to be monetized (more directly with the latter).
Today's announcement basically means that any video uploaded to YouTube that is geotagged will automatically show up on that location in Google Earth. Though this will attract an early adopter-sized following, it could eventually open up lots of possibilities for travel videos and also small business video advertising which is gaining steam all over the place.
For any small business or individual that does get on board, there would seem to be an opportunity to upload existing video creative to YouTube, geocode it with the precise location of the business and have it be among the first score this map real estate.
The real opportunity in a local search sense, however, is if this is brought to Google Earth's online cousin, Google Maps. Similar functionality already exists there through the MyMaps personalization feature, but it requires users to upload videos to personalized maps.
The Google Earth/YouTube integration, by comparison, has a lower barrier to build overall video content by having YouTube uploads to be geotagged for everyone to see. Although again, there won't be people lining up to do this initially.
This is also analogous to functionality in Flickr that lets photos be geotagged and show up in Yahoo! Maps. And of course there are scores of map mashups for more static media to be represented on a map in a thematic way (the Google Maps Mania blog does a good job chronicling these). Greater video integration just takes this to the next step.
With the growing popularity and portability of online video, it could begin to tie closer together with local search. Involving YouTube, a household name, in the process could lower the barrier for businesses (and anyone else) to get themselves and their videos "on the map" in a more meaningful way.
Posted by Mike Boland at 2:52 PM | Permalink
SEW Experts: Voice Search: Mobile Tactic Here. Now. 2DAY.Mobile has long been called marketers' next emerging opportunity. So, from a local search standpoint, how do you prepare for the opportunity? In today's Vertical Challenge column, "Voice Search: Mobile Tactic Here. Now. 2DAY.," local search expert Gregg Stewart explains that a very old offering is hot once again: directory assistance (DA), and its new subcategory of voice search.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink
October 10, 2007
LiveDeal, the Latest to Blend Local Search and VideoLocal search and classifieds site LiveDeal announced today that it will integrate video content in its listings. This will allow individual sellers and businesses to upload videos to enhance their classifieds or directory listings.
This follows closely behind many local search and internet yellow pages sites that have blended local search and video over the past year, such as Yellowpages.com, Superpages, and Citysearch. Every major U.S. IYP in fact now has video capability in some form, as there is a clear trend towards video integration in local search.
Google's video addition to AdSense earlier this week meanwhile expand its own video efforts by scaling the distribution of YouTube videos beyond YouTube alone, to the expansive AdSense publisher network. This has local implications as well, with the speculation that Google could integrate video to AdWords by letting users and businesses upload video that is then placed with contextual and geographic targeting throughout AdSense and local search results (i.e. Google Maps).
LiveDeal is a decidedly smaller local search play, but nonetheless joins this video trend in local search. For LiveDeal, video likewise joins a set of content formats it has brought into the fold in the past six months to improve its site experience and expand its monetization opportunities.
This includes most recently, the launch of social features such as community discussion boards around classifieds and topics of local interest. This came weeks after the acquisition by YP.com which brought the site a unique combination of classifieds and directory content; complementary buckets of content that can be blended in certain kinds of searches (i.e. used cars + local dealerships).
Now adding video to the mix makes the site more compelling for users and advertisers. Various combinations of these elements -- social, video, business listings, etc. -- are differentiation strategies we're beginning to see more of in the crowded local search space. The expanded corpus of content these features bring also has SEO benefits.
But LiveDeal, unlike many other local search sites, has an edge in classifieds, one element of local search that has yet to see its potential integrations with video content and directory listings. We've seen classifieds blend with social media (i.e Craigslist), but video could be another element to expand the appeal of both.
This has also been seen to a limited degree lately in Buy.com's recently launched Facebook application for video classifieds. But look for various types of content to converge in more meaningful ways in the local search space -- a microcosm of the larger search world where parallel trends are happening, such as universal search.
Posted by Mike Boland at 4:12 PM | Permalink
October 5, 2007
SEW Experts: Is Optimization Key to Local Video Ads?Internet Yellow Pages (IYP) providers have the customers and sales infrastructure to succeed at selling local video ads. But so far, they're overlooking the search optimization component. In today's Vertical Challenge column, "Is Optimization Key to Local Video Ads?," video search expert Grant Crowell explains why a video search optimization program could be just what IYPs need.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink
September 27, 2007
Marchex Connects Its Local-Vertical NetworkWhen Marchex added its OpenList technology to its 100,000 local and vertical sites in June, it marked the beginning of a process to turn a localized domain portfolio into a network of local sites. Today, it launched the hub of that network at OpenList.com, and expanded the network to 150,000 sites.
The OpenList network is made up of sites that are both local and vertical, such as NewYorkDoctors.com, TopekaDining.com, or IndianapolisAutoRepair.com. The sites are filled with local business information from Localeze, as well as reviews and other data crawled by OpenList, as well as content from partners, including the newly added OpenTable, Contractors.com, HealthGrades, and Judy's Book. Much of the content currently centers around restaurants and hotels, which were the first niches OpenList focused on when it started four years ago.
The OpenList technology allows users to search the site, or browse by categories. They can then drill down to filter results by several other factors, such as business type, cuisine of a restaurant, price level, rating level, or other features. Results are displayed on a Yahoo-powered map
Users can search from OpenList.com, or from one of the many local domains, which are powered by OpenList. Marchex displays contextual text ads it sells itself, backfilled by ads from Yahoo. Much of the traffic is currently driven by direct navigation to the local sites, but an increasing amount comes from search engines that index those pages. This is expected to increase as the sites are filled with more local content.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 5:10 PM | Permalink
September 21, 2007
SEW Experts: Think Local, Act SocialIn today's Vertical Challenge column, "Think Local, Act Social," local search expert Michael Boland asks what bars, lawyers, restaurants and dog washers have in common? Answer: They all meet at the intersection of local and social search.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:29 AM | Permalink
September 17, 2007
Idearc Buys Switchboard, Other Assets from InfoSpaceLocal search and directory publisher Idearc has acquired Switchboard.com and other directory assets from InfoSpace for $2 million in cash. Switchboard.com was acquired by InfoSpace in 2004 for $103 million. The directory products will be folded into Idearc's Superpages.com, and monetized through its existing ad products, giving advertisers access to more inventory and a new audience, according to a statement.
"With the addition of Switchboard.com and its associated networks, we are increasing the scale of our fast-growing local search platform, enabling our advertisers' content to reach even more consumers and boosting our high-quality organic Internet traffic base," said Kathy Harless, Idearc's president and CEO.
InfoSpace's online directory business offers directory services through InfoSpace's branded Web sites, such as Switchboard.com and InfoSpace.com, and through private-label distribution partners. The vast majority of the revenue is generated from Switchboard.com. For the first half of 2007, the business had revenues of $17.2 million, and employs approximately 50 people.
That would leave InfoSpace with a mobile business and a few metasearch engines like Dogpile and corresponding toolbars. But, as Andy Beal points out: "The Triangle Business Journal–yes we do have a tech industry in North Carolina folks–suggests that InfoSpace is also set to sell its entire mobile division to Durham-based Motricity."
Superpages.com's network had 21.3 million unique visitors in August 2007 and InfoSpace Directories and Resources had 7.7 million unique visitors in the same time period, according to comScore's Media Matrix for August 2007.
The latest in a string of product launches and investments by Idearc in local search.
UPDATE: According to Kate Kaye at ClickZ News, Idearc is touting the buy as a way to get more organic Web traffic, thereby limiting the need to rely on traffic from search engines. "We want to be able to control our own destiny," said Idearc President, Internet Eric Chandler, during a press conference call this morning. The acquisition, which will include InfoSpace's mobile application Find It, will provide Idearc with "more high quality organic traffic," he added. Existing agreements Switchboard has in place with search partners have caps on the amount of traffic that can be driven to its directories. "Once we own the traffic there are no caps for us," said Chandler.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 1:32 PM | Permalink
September 12, 2007
AmericanTowns Gets Idearc Backing, Sells LocalSearch.comIYP publisher Idearc has invested in AmericanTowns, a collection of local city guides that aggregates content from various sources about local businesses, events, news and other resources. Idearc has also purchased the LocalSearch.com domain from AmericanTowns. Combined, the deal is worth $3.3 million.
Idearc will work with AmericanTowns to develop hyper-local content for its own local search offerings, and will take an equity interest and board seat at the start-up.
AmericanTowns.com will use proceeds from this transaction to continue growing its database, to develop new tools for community groups, and to add more user-generated content tools for its local sites.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 11:22 AM | Permalink
A Look at the Local Search LandscapeAre you confused by the myriad local search options popping up every other day? Wondering what you need to worry about, and what to tell your clients about local search? Marchex has attempted to simplify that for you with a new primer on the local search space, outlining the landscape of ad providers and publishers.
We break down the report in today's SearchDay, "The Local Search Landscape."
Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 10:23 AM | Permalink
September 6, 2007
ShopLocal Adds a Personal TouchLocal product search site ShopLocal announced today that it will integrate a set of social tools that will allow its users to form an identity on the site, and share commentary on products.
These tools specifically will let users create a profile, view product reviews, and join discussion forums on local products and promotions. Part of this will include personalizing an account where users can save and share deals they’ve found, track prices on certain products, and set up email alerts.
This is an interesting move for ShopLocal, which has already been known for some clever marketing tactics, particularly with viral video. It could be a valuable addition or user retention tool for its product, which is one of the handful of increasingly important sites that focus on driving offline conversions with online search.
Essentially this makes the site part CNET, part Yelp, and part Craigslist, (among other things). And as the value of social media outlets are tied to the principles of the network effect, the success of this integration will hinge upon how well this resonates with its current user base or how well it can attract new, possibly younger, users.
Social media is in fact becoming a competitive necessity in local search, and these features could create stickiness and keep users coming back to see what deals have fallen into their price alerts, or what others are saying about local deals. It must be recognized however that getting users to participate in social media is no easy feat -- as echoed in an interesting session on ratings and reviews at SES San Jose.
One of the keys is to know your audience and offer it the right tools and features. The poster child for this strategy so far has, no doubt, been Yelp in playing off the egos of twenty or thirty-something urban foodies, their desire to be social, speak out, and their general and proclivities for a social networking format.
This of course is easier said than done, and is easier to do in the restaurant vertical than others (who out there is clamoring to write a review about their plumber?). But Yelp's strategy still beat the heck out of giving away Starbucks cards which is what some local social search sites did to try to get users to participate.
Know your audience and what they like. We'll see if ShopLocal can execute on this formula.
Posted by Mike Boland at 11:05 PM | Permalink
September 5, 2007
Yellow Pages Provider Testing Voice-Enabled Local SearchPrint and online Yellow Pages provider R.H. Donnelley is testing a new voice-enabled local search solution, dubbed "1-800-CallDex." The service, currently available in the Denver, Phoenix, Spokane and Tucson markets, provides free directory assistance (free DA) and local category search for consumers seeking businesses. The service provides addresses, phone numbers, business descriptions, hours of operation, payment methods and other information.
Free DA is a growing area, with limited consumer adoption and even more limited advertiser pick-up. The field is wide open to grab market share, with Jingle’s 800-free411, AT&T’s 1-800-yellowpages and Goog411 among the competitors.
R.H. Donnelley teamed up with Toronto-based Call Genie to power the service with its Enhanced Voice Directory (EVD) product. The latest release of the product allows consumers in 1-800-CallDex markets to refine their searches by referencing landmarks, neighborhoods and intersections. The system continuously updates itself to reflect how local residents refer to specific landmarks or locations.
R.H. Donnelley has made several moves to bring its offline dominance online. In July, the company announced its intent to acquire Business.com. This follows its 2005 acquisition of Dex Media, and the September 2006 acquisition of SEO/SEM firm LocalLaunch.
Just last week, the company announced an expanded relationship with Yahoo Local, distributing its online yellow pages data on Yahoo's network and streamlining the Yahoo Local ad-buying process for its print yellow pages advertisers.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 10:59 AM | Permalink
August 28, 2007
Yahoo!, Now with More Local ListingsDirectory Publisher R.H. Donnelley announced today that it will partner with Yahoo! to give its advertisers more substantial presence on Yahoo! Local. This is part of its "triple play" effort to gain local listings distribution in print (Dex Directories), IYP (DexKnows) and through online partners.
Analagous to the long term triple play efforts of cable providers and telecos (bundling voice, data, and video products), this works towards gaining better distribution of existing content. In this case, the content is the listings that RHD's sales force brings in through traditional yellow pages ad sales.
According to the press release, this will come in three flavors:
Featured Listings — Sponsored listings with guaranteed placement on the first or second search results pages for broader exposure in a specific geography or category
Enhanced Listings — Sponsored listings that offer the ability to add a detailed business description, photos, tagline and coupons to create greater online visibility for businesses and enhance their appearance within organic results
Yahoo! Maps Business Listings — Sponsored listings within the context of a map-based view
The new addition gives the sales channel another tool in its toolbelt -- one that advertisers are increasingly asking for -- for a better cross-platform product. Direct distribution on Yahoo! Local also augments the general effort at RHD towards better online distribution, similarly accelerated a year ago when it acquired LocalLaunch.
This also joins other similar deals that have been formed in the past such as that between Superpages and Google; and you can expect directories/IYPs to increasingly develop online distribution and better ad bundling efforts.
As examined in the Kelsey Group's Local Search and IYP forecast released in March, IYPs will see a greater CAGR than the aggregate local search market, because of their physical sales channel, and the ability to execute more effectively on cross platform sales strategies.
For RHD, This deal applies to the 14 state region (Western and Midwestern states), where it distributes print directories, and where its sales force roams.
Posted by Mike Boland at 7:10 PM | Permalink
August 17, 2007
SEW Experts: This Just In, Google Recruits Local Sales ForceIn today's Vertical Challenge column, "This Just In, Google Recruits Local Sales Force," Gregg Stewart gives you a heads up on Google Local Business Referrals and continues his review of local search strategies by covering underutilized local media sources.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink
August 15, 2007
Yahoo! Local Gets a FaceliftYahoo! Local today announced a redesign and series of upgrades to its site. Many of these changes represent a new effort to bring out user generated content, and to motivate users to participate in user reviews, according to Brian Gil, lead project manager of Yahoo! Local.
To augment this effort, the company has also modified its relevance engine. It will include the (hopefully) growing corpus of reviews content in its index with the intention of serving better local search results.
"We’ve always considered ourselves to be a social utility with a core focus on relevance and accuracy and depth of content," says Gil. "We’re shifting the site design to spur more active engagement from the community, and we also modified our relevance engine to bring the best and closest results to users' [queries].
New features in particular will allow users greater access to existing reviews, such as commenting whether or not they were useful, and also put in their own two cents. This higher degree of interaction is hoped to grow the reviews content, in line with the aforementioned goal; and also expand the feedback loop and level of interaction among users.
The new site will also include a city guide tab which will represent the new face of Yahoo! Local and a new new jumping off point to local search. This will feature and delineate a few content verticals, which it would like to accentuate for both local searches and also, as mentioned above, ratings and reviews generation. These include special sections for Restaurants, Health & Beauty, and Home & Garden.
“This reflects that we are not just a dining guide or just focused specifically on arts an entertainment,” says Gil. “Of course it’s a popular category and we strive to have the best content. But the types of demographics that we cater to and the types of experiences we’re trying to provide go far beyond that. The focus will shift more towards homeowner demographics with a variety of different local purchasing needs.”
The redesign will also include a new "weekender" page which lists movies, events and activities that users can use to find stuff do do over the weekend, or whenever they can fit recreation into their lives. Initially this this will be geo-targeted only, but could develop according to Gil, to be personalized and behaviorally targeted to registered users.
There is also a buzz cloud, which joins many of the other new features in giving the site more web 2.0 appeal. This is likewise geo-targeted to show the most popular searches in a given community. Avatars and pictures are also included with user reviews and "MyLocal" personal profiles, similar to what Yelp has done with its successful reviews engine.
Overall there is nothing revolutionary about these enhancement, but they do represent a good evolutionary step for Yahoo! Local, which has a leading position in the local search world to protect, according to comScore data, and a legacy as one of the first online local search players.
More analysis of the social dimensions of the new Yahoo! Local to come in next week's vertical search expert column.
Posted by Mike Boland at 1:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 8, 2007
SEW Experts: Yellow Pages and SearchIn today's Searching for Meaning column, "Yellow Pages and Search," Kevin Ryan explains that yellow pages directories and search engines are hopelessly intertwined as directories feed search queries and search queries feed directories. A new spin on the old book might just connect the dots.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink
August 2, 2007
The Gphone and Mobile Local SearchThe Wall Street Journal reports today that we could be getting closer to the realization of the long-rumored Google phone. This could happen in one (or both) of two ways for Google: partner or build.
Partnering has been Google's angle into mobile search and services thus far, but it has only allowed it to push through watered down versions of its products such as Gmail for mobile and Maps for mobile. Having its own device would allow it to position itself more predominantly on the home screen, and build applications that are more compelling than carriers have been willing or able to do themselves.
Even if it has its own device however, partnering would require the perennial challenge of working with carriers who are famously unwilling to cede control over every facet of their network and every device that runs on it. Talks so far have only resulted in Verizon scoffing at the search revenue share that Google is asking for in prospective mobile search advertising. Gphone and iPhone: Catalysts for Change?
This defeatist position on the part of U.S. carriers has been the number one detriment to mobile local search innovation and application development. But the web browsing capabilities of the iPhone could finally be the avenue by which search application developers can sidestep the carrier control over the home screens of devices that run on their networks.
A phone from Google could do the same, if the company pushes its weight around enough, to appeal to carriers with an enticement of brand appeal and revenue boosting possibilities for data consumption, amidst hyper competition and falling revenues in the mobile voice arena. This is similar to how Apple got in bed with AT&T.
The iPhone will soon become compelling enough that other carriers will have to adopt (post-AT&T 2 year contract), despite worries over enabling a device that has wi-fi capability, an elegant browsing experience and other things that could allow consumers to sidestep consumption of carrier voice packets (wi-fi enabled VoIP is one concern here).
The same thing will happen with a prospective Google phone; carriers will come around out of necessity to compete. Give it time.
Go it Alone?
Google’s other possible direction is to go out and buy it’s own wireless spectrum - something it has indicated it would like to do at an upcoming government auction for a swath of open spectrum. This would take years to build and cost billions (I heard Google has some money though); and could land Google in a position, like the carriers, where it is forced to protect a massive investment.
On the bright side, this would essentially make Google its own carrier, with a direct channel to offer consumers all of the things that it has wanted to for years. In the meantime, partnering with carriers is still possible. Carriers will try, unsuccessfully, to block Google's overall forays into the mobile environment, but it will eventually enable it by partnering with the company out of short term competitive necessity.
Either way, we can finally expect to see meaningful innovation in the mobile local search arena. The Gphone itself is rumored to be free to consumers and completely ad supported, which could invoke a welcome sea change in the mobile telecom world.
Combine this with the iPhone’s effect on stimulating mobile local search innovation and application development; and pervasive mobile local search and location based services could be here before we know it.
Posted by Mike Boland at 10:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 27, 2007
SEW Experts: Pimp My Vertical SearchIn today's Vertical Challenge column, "Pimp My Vertical Search," Michael Boland tells you about the future of local search in a verticalized world. See how Vehix uses the strength of video advertising and online search to give consumers local search on steroids and advertisers better direct response.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 1:01 AM | Permalink
July 25, 2007
SEW Experts: Turning Local Inside OutIn today's Searching for Meaning column, "Turning Local Inside Out," Kevin Ryan takes a look at what local search looks like today, and why one-stop technology and search providers have an advantage over the big sales forces and more heavily regulated telephone directory advertising..
Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink
July 24, 2007
SEW Experts: Don't be a Local-Yokel — Enhance Your Local Business ListingsIn today's Little Biz column, "Don't be a Local-Yokel — Enhance Your Local Business Listings," Carrie Hill shows you how to enhance your local listings in Google Maps and Yahoo Local to bring more traffic to your site.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:00 AM | Permalink
July 20, 2007
SEW Experts: Getting Started in Local SearchIn today's Vertical Challenge column, "Getting Started in Local Search," Gregg Stewart introduces a new column, Local Search, with information on how to get started in finding cost-effective leads and developing a media plan.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:01 AM | Permalink
July 19, 2007
Local.com Acquires PremierGuideLocal.com has picked up B2B local directory provider PremierGuide for a about $2 million. PremierGuide offers white-label business directories to local publishers, such as newspapers, radio and TV stations, and regional sites. Its network reportedly includes more than 350 regional media sites, including Community Newspaper Holdings, GateHouse Media, and Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive.
The business listings are designed to drive search traffic to the publisher sites, when the listings are indexed by search engines. The search traffic is monetized by ads displayed alongside the business listings, with ad revenues shared by PremierGuide and the publisher.
PremierGuide will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Local.com, and its founder and CEO, Malcolm Lewis, will become Local.com's VP, private label. Local.com plans to integrate PremierGuide's technology and product with the company's LocalConnect platform to provide an additional turn-key private-label solution to regional media.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 1:28 PM | Permalink
July 18, 2007
Hyper-Local Gets a Vote of ConfidenceDallas based Hyper local news and events site Pegasus News has announced it will be acquired by Fisher Communications. The deal will bring Pegasus' online local and hyper-local content capabilities to Fisher's existing properties, including 19 television and radio stations throughout the Pacific Northwest.
This comes days after Backfence, one of the original "hyper-local" online destinations announced it will close its doors (see co-founder Mark Potts' blog post earlier this week and SEW past coverage of Backfence's woes here and here). This has caused general awareness and speculation of online hyper-local destinations which are growing in number including Outside.in, SmallTown, CitySquares, and FatDoor.
Pegasus News founder Mike Orren has his own view on what hyper-local should be, which builds upon the generally accepted definition that, itself, is somewhat amorphous (see past SEW expert column on hyperlocal). Specifically, he believes hyper-local content (i.e. the high school box score, the mother's group meeting schedule) is important, but not enough to exist alone as a core feature to any local search site. You have to be holistic to the entire metro, he contends.
"Even with hyper-local, you have to cover the entire metro for it to work," he told me. "People aren’t just identified with their community: You’re a little bit your neighborhood, a little bit the food you eat, the music you listen to and the city you work in. Neighborhood content is important, but you have to put that in front of the basketball score someone will look for and where they are going to eat tonight – which may not be in their neighborhood."
Breathing New Life into Hyper-Local
This mindset works particularly well with the assets that it's new parent brings to the table. Specifically, the cities throughout the Pacific Northwest where Fisher hangs it's hat (i.e. Portland, Seattle, Tacoma, etc.) are conducive to Pegasus' particular brand of content aggregation and local flavor that has proven successful on its home turf of Dallas Tx.
"We work best in larger metros with lots of suburban sprawl," says Orren. "Yeah it could probably work well in New York City, but we're much more interested in places that have not a lot of media coverage and a lot of people that engage in entertainment in the city, but also want to come home and go to their kid's soccer game."
The Fisher ownership will also give it more resources to bring in user generated content and community participation, which have proven difficult to incentivize for Backfence and others. This could happen through the cross-promotional efforts of the new parent's radio and television media, and the overall resources they could bring to Pegasus.
"User generated content doesn't just find you," says Orren. "A fair amount of seeding and harvesting is required. With more resources, we can spend more time with high schools and community groups to engage them to contribute to the site and supplement what we're doing."
Next up for Pegasus is to develop monetization strategies around locally relevant behavioral advertising. Orren would also like to deepen content in niche areas such as theater, music and events, which will have SEO benefits and also serve to improve the customization and personalization tools that have characterized its user appeal.
"Customization gets better with a bigger body of content," says Orren, explaining that, here again, the resources that Fisher brings to the table and the boost in exposure will help Pegasus get there.
"It will hopefully turn everything up a little and help us go from being an intriguing startup to the next stage of legitimacy," he says.
Posted by Mike Boland at 1:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 2, 2007
Even More Local Search PatentsWhen we wrote last week about Local.com's new local search patent, we pointed out that there were far too many patents being issued in that space. That's only gotten worse this week, with another local search patent awarded to Local.com, this time for ad-supported 411 calls.
Once again, this patent seems to be in direct conflict with an existing patent, one from Jingle Networks.
There's either going to have to be some litigation, or consolidation of businesses or patents between the various players. In the meantime, it's the users and advertisers who will suffer, since the confusion in the marketplace and looming lawsuits will only serve to scare off advertisers and slow the growth of local search.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 12:15 PM | Permalink
June 27, 2007
Marchex Launches Content-Rich Direct-Navigation StrategyMarchex today launched 100,000 local and vertical Web sites, all with unique content. The sites include yellow pages listings, user-generated and expert ratings and reviews, and of course plenty of ads. The content is generated by Marchex using technology it acquired from Open List last May.
The portfolio contains sites like videocameras.com, chicagodoctors.com, newyorkdining.com, and hundreds of zip code sites, such as 90210.com. Traffic comes from users who type the URL directly into their browser, or from search engines that index these sites.
Marchex expects to expand the Open List content to more of its 200,000 direct navigation sites in coming months. It will also link all of these sites back to OpenList.com in the fall, creating a huge local search engine and ad network.
"Our portfolio of sites up until very recently was, in essence, all ads," Matthew Berk, lead search architect at Marchex and a founder of Open List, told ClickZ. With the new changes, he said, "It's walking someone through the decision process, so you can help them ask the questions they didn't necessarily know to ask up front. The Open List experience has always been about refinement."
Open List started as a travel-centric network of sites, with listings for hotels, restaurants, and attractions. Marchex has expanded the categories over the last year to include more business listings in dozens of categories. Last month, Marchex partnered with Fox to develop a set of Spanish-language Web sites owned by Marchex.
Ads are served by Marchex's own Marchex Network ads, supplemented by Yahoo ads.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 10:30 AM | Permalink
June 26, 2007
Ingenio Data Attempts to Crack the Code on Mobile UsagePay-per-call provider Ingenio and market research firm Harris Interactive released results of a survey today that shows interesting data around consumer preferences for mobile devices and advertising.
Like any up and coming area, knowledge or consumer preferences is important to lead product development; and nowhere is this more relevant than in mobile search, where there is a great deal of experimentation and speculation and no clear cut models for content or ad delivery.
Though mobile search and advertising are different than the PC environment, Ingenio chief marketing officer Marc Barach contends that there are similar opportunities to build ad models, although there is also a need to adapt content delivery methods and ad formats to the specific needs of mobile users.
A few data points from the survey are:
-- 63 percent of respondents claim their cell phone is very personal to them while 49 percent indicate that they use their phones for more than just calls including sending and receiving text messages (36 percent), and taking, sending and receiving photos (24 percent).
-- 74 percent of those 18-34 meanwhile use their cell phones for more than just making phone calls. This is compared with 20 percent of those ages 55 and up.
-- Over the next three years 57 percent of respondents anticipate using their phones for more than just making and receiving phone calls. Among those 18-34 the numbers are greater (75 percent) compared with ages 55 and up (33 percent).
-- 85 percent of adults own a mobile phone compared to 71 percent who have a land line. Among those aged 18-34, 89 percent own a mobile phone, while only 57 percent have a land line.
-- Among mobile ad formats, 26 percent of respondents favored sponsored text links that appear as a result of searches (ads relevant to a search query). 21 percent favor audio ads that play instead of ringing while waiting for a call to answer, followed by 20 percent that find text message ads acceptable.
-- In each category, younger generations found ads more acceptable than their older counterparts (i.e. 28 percent of mobile phone users ages 18-34 find text messages from companies to be at least somewhat acceptable, compared to only 14 percent of those ages 45 and up).
-- Among those who have ever called 411 from their mobile phones, commercial (74 percent) and restaurant (72 percent) phone and address listings are the most frequently sought after types of information.
So what does all of this mean?
A sizable opportunity exists with mobile advertising in standard and universal formats such as voice and SMS (more robust search on smartphones and WAP browsers meanwhile have lower -adoption, although this could be accelerated by some mobile usage trends and the market penetration of the iPhone).
Users' need to find local information and act on it is presumed to be greater with the mobile use case, than with online search, given mobility and in some cases immediacy. This also lets advertisers reach users at vital decision points when intent to buy is at more desirable levels.
Targeting advertising effectively, in a way that satisfies user preferences shown in this and in other studies, is where the strategy will lie on a tactical level. There are lots of implications in the demographic segmentation of these findings, and the stated threshold for enduring different formats of mobile advertising. Multi-modal search and ad serving technologies being developed by Tellme and others show a great deal of promise in having the user-centric qualities that these data highlight.
Push-to-talk functionality further this utility; and the pay per call ad models that can sit behind this functionality could have a great deal of appeal to advertisers that wish to get in front of mobile users at the right times. This is even more so than online pay-per-click models where, by comparison, there is physical (and, arguably mental) disconnect between the PC and phone. But when you're dealing with mobile technologies, "It is, after all, a phone," says Barach.
High Consideration Mobile Search
It's also interesting to note that these findings are in line with previous Ingenio data that show impulse local searches (i.e. restaurants, entertainment, hotels, etc.) represent two-thirds of mobile pay-per-call volume. The remaining amount is comprised of more considered purchase categories such as real estate and debt management.
So what this these new data tell us, according to Barach, is that combined with the steady growth in financial and real estate categories that he is seeing, mobile users' intent to use their phones for more than just calls will equate to an increasing portion of searches in these more considered purchase categories.
Lastly, In addition to the ad serving strategies that these data can help model, they have also been valuable, according to Barach, to step back and see the overall opportunity that exists, due simply to the lack of a clear and prevailing ad model in the local environment.
"What we didn’t realize was how open the model is from a monetization perspective," he says. "What hit us on the side of the head here was that only 30 percent of users could recall seeing an ad on their phone. People view their cell phones as a communication device that strengthens their personal relationships that they use all the time, yet the ad model has yet to find itself in this environment if so few people can ever recall seeing an ad."
Posted by Mike Boland at 5:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Skrenta Steps Down at TopixRich Skrenta, CEO of news aggregator and local search site Topix since its launch five years ago, is stepping down from his position, but retain a seat on Topix's board. He'll be succeeded by Chris Tolles, who has been VP of marketing at Topix since 2004, and who worked with Skrenta to build the Open Directory Project before selling it to Netscape in 1998.
Earlier this year, Topix revised its news aggregation model to become more of a citizen journalism site.
You can read more about Skrenta's decision on his blog.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 1:27 PM | Permalink
June 25, 2007
Local.com Gets Location-based Search PatentThe local search space is becoming a patent battleground. in the third local search patent to surface in the last month, Local.com today announced that it's been awarded a patent for "indexing and retrieving web-related information by geographical location."
Last month, Jingle Networks won a patent for elements of its 1-800-FREE-411 service, which serves targeted voice ads from related businesses and competitors when a user looks up a local business on its service.
Earlier this month, London-based Geomas sued Verizon and its Idearc spin-off, claiming that Idearc's Superpages.com infringes on a patent it owns for location-based search.
It's not likely that all of these seemingly overlapping patents, and other emerging patents, can all be enforced. The local search space is certainly overcrowded with start-ups, so a little bit of patent-enforcement might help with consolidation in the market. On the other hand, it can also stifle the growth of the industry, if the major players get involved in an all-out patent war. It would be best for the industry if these issues could get sorted out swiftly and decisively, but that's rarely the case in situations like these.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 10:52 AM | Permalink
June 20, 2007
Google Maps Integrates User Reviews (Finally)Google yesterday announced on the Lat Long Blog that it will begin to offer the opportunity to read and write user generated reviews of businesses that show up in local listings in Google Maps.
Reviews in Google Maps can now be found in a small link that accompanies most business listings. These will join the aggregated professional reviews that Google has traditionally pulled from various sources.
The AJAX functionality of the new reviews feature causes a small window to open in which users can easily write a review and designate a rating from one to five stars. Though Google is showing up late to the user reviews party (Yahoo! has had this for almost two years), this feature is decidedly simpler and more intuitive than writing reviews in Yelp, Yahoo! and others.
This is important in an area where incentivizing participation and lowering barriers to adoption can be a key differentiator. One of the key challenges, in fact, of building social search and reviews-driven local search destinations is motivating the critical mass of reviews content and user participation to make the offering worthwhile.
This is much more of a challenge for new online destinations that try to differentiate themselves with reviews features as their main selling point, than it is to add such a feature to an existing well traveled search destination. On the other hand, it will have less relevance in many cases within Google Maps, than on sites that have branded themselves as strong local search destinations for certain demographics, or within certain verticals, such as Yelp and Citysearch (see previous post on the verticalization of local search).
Regardless, user ratings and reviews are becoming a standard in local search, and are on the product road maps of nearly every new local search startup that I talk to. They are also being aggressively developed by online yellow pages stalwarts such as Yellowpages.com and Superpages.com. Data from The Kelsey Group's most recent User View survey also show the growing importance of user reviews to online users.
Google has meanwhile shown a clear interest in beefing up the content that is available to users in Google Local and Google Maps. Back in March, it announced new features to its Local Business Center to allow businesses to add or edit information about themselves. This is very much in line with good (and basic) SEO in making these listings more content-rich and also more user-centric.
User reviews are a step in the same direction and further the social media qualities of Google Maps, also seen in the recently launched MyMaps personalized map feature.
Posted by Mike Boland at 3:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 13, 2007
Cable TV and Local SearchAs Cable television providers test the waters of on-demand programming in the early days of the medium, some have begun to test user preferences in local markets for viewing hyper-local content in an on-demand fashion. Comcast in particular has begun to serve coverage of local events on its on-demand programming menu. This includes things such as high school sports, local parades, and local interest news stories.
This is an interesting move for Comcast, in that it brings local video content into more of pull based delivery mechanism, akin to the development that video is seeing online. The next step could be to integrate small business video advertising to on-demand menus, which would make them more directional and pull based than they have traditionally been in local cable advertising. Comcast already done this to a certain extent with its Spotlight classifieds ads.
Local cable has traditionally been the medium through which small businesses can advertise with video. Comcast and others even have sales channels already in place for this. But the growing adoption and exposure of local video advertising thanks to, TurnHere, Spot Runner and others, should increase demand among small business advertisers for video.
At the same time, it could be the right time for the fusion of local directional advertising and on demand cable, given the popularity that the latter has shown for cable programming. 54 percent of digital subscribers watched an on-demand program, up from 35 percent in 2004, according to the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing. Jupiter research also reports that about 35 million U.S. households subscribe to digital cable. For local on demand content specifically, Comcast reports 2 million views for the first quarter, compared to 3.7 million views for all of 2006, according to the Associated Press.
The integration of small business video ads with on-demand programming could involve the capability to view inventory, after seeing, say, an auto dealer ad. It might also be beneficial to tie these together with national brand advertising, especially in the case of autos. When I spoke with Vehix.com CEO Derek Mattson in March, he expressed a strong belief that this is where things are headed.
This will bring video content closer to the benefits of search in its ability to target advertising. And as pointed out in The Kelsey Group's most recent User View study (wave IV), online pull based video advertising showed a strong response rate; and reaching consumers in this manner increases the likelihood of reaching attractive and buying empowered users. These demographic factors holds true for broadband users and digital cable subscribers alike.
There is a lot of opportunity here, but questions remain, such as users' desire to pull in local video ads in this venue. Perhaps integrating directory listings could tie video content to the use case of people looking for things locally. Online yellow pages such as Yellowpages.com have begun to talk about this integration.
For this to work, cable providers also have to work on improving the capabilities and search interfaces of their on-demand menus. The looming challenge posed by telco-delivered IPTV offerings, could light a fire under them to start doing this.
Posted by Mike Boland at 7:21 PM | Permalink
June 6, 2007
Avvo: Web 2.0 For Legal SearchNew legal search destination Avvo launched yesterday. Like other legal search destinations in this space such as FindLaw and LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell, it offers users search tools to find lawyers in different categories and in different locales.
Avvo CEO (and former attorney at Preston, Gates, & Ellis) Mark Britton claims there hasn't yet been an online brand galvanized in the eyes of consumers to find a lawyer, because of a lack of sufficient ratings, reviews, search tools and processes to "hold consumers' hands" through the process of researching and choosing the right lawyer.
With this assertion, the company has developed a 3 step process to guide users through this process. The biggest value-add here could be Avvo's proprietary ranking system for individual lawyers (although LexisNexis also has a rating system). To formulate this 1-10 ranking it has created an equation that brings in ratings from users, other lawyers and publicly available databases such as state bar associations.
"This is a free tool that assess any lawyers ability to handle your case," he says. "We've gone out and collected this data [from] public records, court room records and bar association records to take the legwork out of it for the consumer."
The system ranks thousands of lawyers in 10 states currently, and in about 110 practice areas based on experience, education, or any slaps on the wrist they may have received while practicing.
"This includes the disciplinary history for every lawyer for ever state we cover and eventually for every lawyer in the country," he says. This has however raised some eyebrows and speculation from lawyers who feel there isn't enough public data available to get an accurate snapshot of a lawyer's credibility and quality.
The Zillow-ing of Legal Search
The aggregation of all this data to form a valuation, gives Avvo some some similarities to the publicly derived automatic value estimates pulled together by real estate search company Zillow. Zillow Chief Executive Rich Barton in fact sits on Avvo's board and the two companies share sources of funding from Benchmark Capital and Ignition Partners which together invested $10 million in Avvo in April.
The company also allows lawyers to go in and add information about themselves to bolster their listing and also feed into the rating they get. Again, this is similar to Zillow's offering to homeowners to provide information that assists in home valuations (zestimates) such as recent renovations or value enhancements that might not be reflected in public records.
This user generated content will also boost the SEO value of these individual lawyer profiles by deepening the content. Done on a large scale, this can have traffic generating abilities and natural marketing benefits for Avvo. This is similar to the strategy recently set in motion by Google in its Local Business Center to enhance its local search results by allowing businesses to populate and update the profiles for their own Google Local listings.
Lawyers will be able to do this on Avvo by registering with a credit card, vouching for their own identity (as is done with homeowners on Zillow) and then populating their profiles with anything they think will lend credence, trustworthiness, or marketing benefit to their profiles. The level of competition and margins in the legal profession could increase the chances of this participation and content generation, Britton hopes.
"With lawyers, you have a highly competitive marketplace," he says, "There are 827,000 private practices with half of them being solo practitioners that are just trying to keep the doors open and get clients in the door."
Posted by Mike Boland at 5:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 1, 2007
SEW Experts: The Local Video RevolutionIn today's Vertical Challenge column, The Local Video Revolution, Michael Boland addresses the latest trends in local online video. He points out that video is a perfect venue for small businesses to advertise and for local search destinations like Citysearch, Superpages.com and YellowPages.com to integrate video with existing forms of local search advertising.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 5:51 AM | Permalink
May 31, 2007
SpotRunner Dives Deeper into LocalYesterday, local video ad and distribution provider Spot Runner announced a deal with Lexis Nexus Martindale Hubbel. This gives the company closer access to local advertisers in the legal vertical by opening up a single point of entry to a broad base of private attorneys.
The deal will make Spot Runner's ad creation engine and cable spot buying dashboard available to Lexis Nexus affiliated law firms. This is very similar to Spot Runner's deal with Coldwell Banker in the real estate vertical that gives the firm's far flung agents immediate access to customize 30 second ads and choose where they want them distributed.
This involves voice overs and text that are overlayed on stock video footage (available for many different advertising categories). The cable spot buying dashboard then lets advertisers choose geographic and demographic targeting for where the ads will run. The price for ad creation is $500, while ad placements can be as low as $12 (surprisingly) for 30 second spots on comedy central and CNN in some markets.
These deals for spot runner are the best way for the business to scale. Otherwise it is addressing a very wide and fragmented segment of small businesses. This becomes even harder if you look at the fact that it employs a self service model without a sales force. One single deal with a large business with many decentralized constituents effectively gives it a single point of entry to many local businesses.
But the significance this announcement is that it's Spot Runner's first move into the legal vertical. Real estate and autos have already caught on quickly with video advertising and represent the biggest advertiser groups for Spot Runner. This is because of the high consideration items, pressure for leads, and high margins that have made early adoption a necessity, and advertising spends somewhat inelastic. These factors are also very much present in many professional services areas including lawyers.
Spot Runner's move into the legal vertical is also significant because it is an area traditionally "owned" by yellow pages publishers. In fact, this should be a call to action for yellow pages publishers to begin to offer video advertising to local professional services advertisers.
This could be a complimentary addition to the advertising bundle they currently offer including print and online (internet yellow pages) placements. Spot Runner could be a nice creative partner in rolling this out, but it currently offers only cable distribution. Other video producers such as TurnHere and Spotzer offer online video distribution, and Spot Runner will likely follow suit soon.
The model for IYPs and local search destinations could be a video window that is embedded in individual business listings that is sold as an additional ad unit or upsell. Many IYPs that spoke at The Kelsey Group's Drilling Down on Local conference -- including Yellowpages.com and YellowBook.com -- expressed a pressing interest to do this. But they better do it quick, or someone else will. Oops, Citysearch already has.
More on the subject of local video advertising in an upcoming SEW experts column.
Posted by Mike Boland at 5:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 25, 2007
SEW Experts: Getting Hyper-Active in Local SearchIn today's Vertical Challenge column, Getting Hyper-Active in Local Search, Michael Boland dives into the world of hyper-local, where newspapers and online startups use local online communities to get an edge on news aggregators like Google and Yahoo.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 1:43 AM | Permalink
May 23, 2007
Local.com on a Roll IIFollowing its string of recent announcements (previous posts on Local.com here and here), Local.com today unveiled a new mobile search product.
Known as Local Mobile, the ad supported mobile site lets users search by entering keywords and locations using mobile device keypads. This includes access to Local.com’s business profile pages, mapping, driving directions, click to call, and the ability to send listings to other mobile users (using SMS).
Mobile distribution of listings will be built into the company’s ad offerings to local businesses, which currently include online featured listings and landing page development.
This falls in line with Local.com's slow reinvention of itself that should help it to gain more users and advertisers in the highly competitive and quickly developing local search space. Some of the company's recent developments have involved site enhancements and redesigns while most are new ad products.
Today's press release can be found here
Posted by Mike Boland at 5:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 17, 2007
New Local Search Site: LocalGuidesDenver-based Local Matters has launched a new local search site, LocalGuides.com. The site lets users create lists of favorite local businesses, based on destinations, like "jazz clubs," or on a task, like "kitchen remodel." The site also incorporates social media elements by letting users share those guides with friends, or with all other users.
"Consumers want more involvement with local information. While some progress has been made in a few entertainment categories, the search industry has failed to give consumers useful tools for personalized local information and opinions," Perry Evans, Local Matters CEO, said in a statement. "LocalGuides.com fills this void by creating a relevant and engaging shared-consumer experience, while also helping local merchants find new ways to connect with their local audience. This is a big part of what has been missing in Local Search."
Writing on his blog, Evans describes LocalGuides as a mix of local, social and vertical search.
"We think we have made it engaging to turn your list into a richly annotated guide that you’ll be excited to share. A very web 2.0 style mash-up tool sits at the center, supported by lots of local content aggregation with simple tools for finding, copying and sharing guides," he writes.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 4:18 PM | Permalink
May 11, 2007
From Online Research to Offline ShoppingA new report from Accenture reveals that the majority of product research happens online, while the majority of purchases resulting from that research happen offline in local physical store locations.
Specifically, the report notes that 67 percent of survey respondents prefer to make purchases in physical stores while 69 percent research product features online and 68 percent compare prices online. Combining these variables, 58 percent said they locate items online before going to a store to purchase, while only 13 percent said the Internet plays no part in their offline shopping.
The Kelsey Group research indicates that with purchases over $500, where the Internet is the starting point, over 90 percent of the transactions finish offline. comScore meanwhile reported last year that 63 percent of search related purchases happen offline; and The U.S. Census Bureau reports that e-commerce represents only 2.5 percent of U.S. retail spending.
Many business models have developed with these findings in mind including NearbyNow, Yokel, ShopLocal, and StepUp Commerce. Each puts varying levels of product and inventory information online in a searchable fashion, for offline local shopping. ShopLocal deals with big box retailers; NearbyNow with shopping center retailers; and StepUp with small businesses. Collectively, all three mostly cover the gamut of retail segments.
StepUp is probably the furthest ahead of the game in terms of providing real time inventory feeds that it gets from small businesses. StepUp's ability to reach a large and fragmented base of small businesses was a driving factor in Intuit's acquisition of the company, Google's partnership with the company; and the melding of all three, in the Google AdWords integration into QuickBooks.
We're getting closer and closer to more reliable data served in easier to use formats by these and other companies that may eliminate the need for the store phone call - a commonly used method, even to double check information gained online. But even a call to the store is an imperfect art, given often-times busy store clerks; or the latency and general human error factor in communicating how much a specific item costs, or how many are on the shelf.
The key to solving this problem could be tighter integration of online experiences with in-store inventory management and point of sale software systems, in order to offer true online real time inventory data. Optimizing the data for searchability will also represent an important challenge; and new local product search site Krillion deserves a nod for the SEO efforts it is applying to literally millions of individual product listing pages.
Intuit's stake in the point of sale software market positions StepUp to integrate reliable data with its online product and inventory search product, which could push forward the ties between online research and offline shopping. The tracking benefits inherent in a tighter feedback loop between the two will also enable more affective ROI assessment for online advertisers, which has traditionally been a fallback of the online-offline purchase funnel.
A tighter integration could also, importantly, improve the user experience and effectively drive adoption of local online product research and in store buying beyond the levels portrayed by Accenture and others.
For local advertisers - especially in high consideration product categories such as major appliances and high-end consumer electronics - this means there is an opportunity to increase store foot traffic through more effective and data-rich online advertising.
Posted by Mike Boland at 2:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 4, 2007
Local.com on a RollNo, that's not a menu item at Venture Frogs restaurant (the San Francisco bubble-era eatery that featured dishes named after tech companies).
Local.com has announced new enhancements to its SERPs including:
· Sort search results by rating, distance, business name and category · View search results within a defined radius · Filter results by related categories and nearby cities · Sort by star ratings and read user reviews · Access recent searches, which are now automatically saved for easy reference
This comes days after launching its Local Verified annual fee-based paid placement product, and weeks after launching the LocalPromote landing page product.
The SERP improvements should help the company continue to gain traction among users, as the site experience has improved a great deal. Although many of these features bring the site on par with the top local search destinations, rather than above or beyond, as pointed out by Greg Sterling. This has also included a move away from banner ads, to a more text ad oriented SERP.
On the advertiser end, LocalPromote will bring more small businesses online, in line with the webification trend that is driving a lot of product development in the local search space. It's an attractive landing page tool that takes a lot of the guesswork out of establishing an online presence for the majority of small businesses that aren't inclined to go out and build (or commission) a website.
This should help Local.com expand its addressable market, and the pool to which it can upsell a growing stable of ad products and formats.
Posted by Mike Boland at 3:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 2, 2007
Citysearch Updates Site, Adds VideoIAC-owned local search site Citysearch has redesigned its site, and has added new features like improved recommendations and video.
Video on Citysearch, powered by TurnHere's network of more than 2,000 professional filmmakers, is intended to tell authentic stories about local businesses and their owners, and give users a chance to experience the ambiance and meet the owners of businesses before visiting.
Besides the video features, Citysearch has added:
- Enhanced search and browse capabilities: Search results for specific businesses by name and across categories, or browse local information in more than 500 categories.
- Personalized suggestions: My Citysearch offers recommendations based on a user's recent search activity and popularity of similar locations.
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