For all the focus on search and the venture capital being poured into new search engines, does it seem strange to anyone that local search has failed to catch fire. Sure, everyone talks about the potential of local search and how it’s a sure-fire way to effectively connect consumers with advertisers but no one – not even Google – appears to have figured it out yet.
It’s certainly not for a lack of trying given there’s a growing number of big and small players in the local search business (In Toronto, for example redToronto and Toronto.com have been around for a few years). Today, Barry Diller’s…er, I mean IAC’s Citysearch division bought Insider Pages, which provides local reviews. As well, Outside.in has launched, and will provide local content, news and search.
So why hasn’t local search caught fire yet? Is there something fundamental that many players are failing to offer? Or are consumers simply not interested in local search because they already know what’s in their neighborhoods/towns/cities, so why would they need a local search engine to tell them how to find the best Chinese restaurant? Any thoughts?
6 Comments
Its because most local small business don’t have web presences worth linking to. It usually just a phone number.
I’ve always thought the problem with local search was the absence of local businesses. There has yet to be a critical mass of small and retail businesses establishing an online presence (at least a credible one worthy of browsing, rather than a directory entry) to make the results all that helpful.
In theory google should be doing better, given the combo of gooble base, google pagehosting, and google maps/local, it should be easier for local businesses to establish a web presence at a low-cost if not free.
However in my experience many of these small operators do not see the Internet as a priority since there business is largely local. Obviously I would disagree with them, and believe the Internet can amplify the local, the question is how to convey this to a large and diverse constituency.
In my neighbourhood in Toronto for example, many of the local businesses are Portuguese and have little interest in serving customers outside of the local Portuguese community. Some use the Internet to do so, the large majority do not.
Mark, it’s easy to point the finger at local search vendors but you’d be wrong. I’ve spent the last year managing http://www.foodinc.ca and http://www.frontrowcentre.com, both sites that are locally targeted and I can tell you from personal experience I get local search but the local companies don’t. This is clearly a sweeping generalization that will not be true in all cases but I assure you it is true for many. Here is a simple test that the illustrates my point that anyone can try: the next time you see a plumber’s truck an electrician’s truck or the truck for any local business look for the website address. Plenty have the company phone number on the side of the truck but few display their website address .
SMEs not having a web presence does not address the issue. Just because consumers find a business on the web does not mean they need to contact them online. SME’s “get” printed yellow pages but they do not “get” local search because local search companies have not developed or delivered a value proposition that is worth a fee. SMEs can do the math. When local search engines delivers, they will pay.
How many times do you search on yellowpages.ca or toronto.com looking for an italian restaurant in your area and you get a chinese restaurant 20 miles away? From personal experience…frequently. Build the right local search mouse trap and people will come. Initially phone numbers and display ads are good enough. Websites from SMEs will follow if search engines (and other online tools) can deliver what people expect.
Who needs those small local-only searches. Have you ever tried Google Local!? It’s AMAZING!!!
http://local.google.com
Problem solved…
Type what you’re looking for and the city. Or maybe type your address and then choose “Find near” and type something like “Thai Food” and watch what happens.
I haven’t touched a local search tool or Yellow Pages in quite some time thanks to this fine tool.
Google Local for the Greater Toronto area is hit and miss in my experience. Some categories work, others do not. I’ll wait for someone local to do online local right…no one has yet cracked this nut.