Strong growth expected for local search advertising
642884
(InfoWorld) - Companies globally will increase their spending on local search engines and online business listing directories an average of 22.3 percent per year through 2011, according to a study by The Kelsey Group Inc. The finding reinforces the notion that the popularity of these sites, which provide a variety of information about a specific geographic area, is growing at a rapid pace among advertisers and users. "There are a lot of goods and services that people can't or won't buy on the Internet and people need to find local businesses for them," said Matt Booth, Kelsey Group's senior vice president and program director of interactive local media. Kelsey Group expects advertisers to spend US$11.1 billion in 2011 in these sites, compared with $4.1 billion last year, the company said Wednesday. The growth will be fueled by factors like new advertisers, fatter online marketing budgets, better ad targeting technology leading to better conversions and an increase in the prices of these pay-per-click ads, Booth said. Many of the new advertisers will be small businesses that currently advertise in the print editions of phone directories. The telecommunications companies that publish these directories will become more aggressive at offering these small business combined print and online deals, Booth said. Local search engines, like Google Inc.'s Google Local and Yahoo Inc.'s Yahoo Local , let users enter queries pegged to an area, in order to find places, businesses, events, driving directions and maps. Business listings directories, like Yahoo's Yellow Pages , are designed for a similar purpose but emphasize browsing their directories over entering search queries. Ad growth in print "yellow pages" phone directories will be almost flat through 2011, increasing an annual average of 0.9 percent, with $27.8 billion expected to be spent in 2011, according to The Kelsey Group.
177734
While many industry and internet specialists agree that a genuine convergence between technology and content for mobile has been achieved, many questions still remain on what exactly are the opportunities for local merchants and search marketers. Is now the time for search marketers to enter mobile and bring their clients with them?
253051
The search giant's success at wooing advertiser dollars serves as a wake-up call for Redmond. By the Associated Press.
569108
Many experts are now predicting that localized search on mobile devices will become the next frontier for advertisers.
371889
comScore has released some data which shows significant gains in the amount of search advertisements which were clicked during the first week of the new Yahoo Search Marketing Panama ranking &#038; Quality Index roll out. The overall Yahoo Search Marketing click thru rate rose from 10.1% to 11.1% two weeks after the launch.  Reuters adds: Data collected [...]
373580
New interactive ad format would give advertisers new ways to reach users online.
170579
Getting Specific With Local Search Engine Optimization  Localized search engine optimization is often overlooked as an excellent tool to bring in local traffic to your website. By including local information in your tags and web pages, you help prospective customers find specific information on the area and business they are searching ...
402568
The company has come up with some on-demand advertising. Will it woo viewers?
325973
Marchex has published a primer on the local search space, outlining the landscape of ad providers and publishers.
254702
Search engines are starting to get up close and personal with many web users.
593550
New pay-per-call paid-search engine model has potential for luring new ad business.
732524
More than 70% of online consumers start their quest for a product, service or support call using a search engine. If you&#8217;re a small business, how can you honestly afford NOT to be associated with this massive audience? The bottom line is that you cannot afford to miss such opportunities &#8212; and today &#8212; we&#8217;ll discuss [...]
521831
Google &#038; Yahoo Driving Local Search Growth Last night comScore released a new analysis of the size and growth of the local search market in the United States. comScore defines local search as &#8216;searches conducted by consumers on the local or directory (Yellow Pages) sections of leading search sites, and other searches identified as having local [...]
144492
Could recent deals signal the search engine's intent to eventually rival TV?
756609
Google may have plans to expand its search engine beyond static text.
359259
Recipe searches are among the most popular online endeavors for women, and major advertisers want to be there to greet them.
484930
The online training arm of the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization has seen enrollment ahead of its expectations in the first months of existence.