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?
Why Does Local Search Suck?
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?