Yahoo! Free Business Listings - Why Is Yahoo Being So Nice?
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This particular service is rather new, so Yahoo may not know exactly what to anticipate or what services users are going to begin demanding. Google recently began a campaign to get more local listings from small businesses as well, and it wouldn’t be alarming if other search engines like MSN, AOL, and Hotbot started creating relationships with small businesses. The competition between search engines’ local features has been rather intense lately, and this isn’t surprising, considering the potential for advertisers in this relatively new venue.
A recent study by The Kelsey Group and ConStat, Inc. reported that a decent majority of U.S. households, almost three quarters, use the internet to research local products and services. Having a website or local listing could definitely generate new customers for small or new businesses, but according to Yahoo, most small businesses do not have any presence on the web. Rich Riley, GM of Yahoo Small Business, tells us, "There are over 26 million small businesses in the U.S., approximately half of which do not have a website.” Especially considering this, it’s pretty clear that it would be a great advantage for people to jump on the wave of business listings early on when it’s less populated and get some attention from chronic web surfers. This new local service will probably benefit both Yahoo and those who it hosts.
The search engines’ pool of advertisers could also be expanding. Though none of the search engines have released details on plans to advertise on local searches, it’s not out of the question. Once a higher percentage of businesses are listed and the competition increases, Yahoo will have accounts and relationships with all of those who signed up for their listings service. The company could tap into these subscribers and exchange a small ad or a prominent position in search results for a small fee. Perhaps this is what the enhanced listing service could evolve into.
Small local businesses to this point have not had many useful places to advertise on the internet unless they offered internet services. Local searches may open a new marketing venue that will more widely connect them with people in their area, and Yahoo may be opening a whole group of advertisers competing for ad space.
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