Ramping up the local search battle, Google unwrapped a new free tool March 15 that lets businesses add or update business listing information within local search rults, including information like operating hours and addresses.
"It represents the beginnings of a direct channel into the small business market," said Greg Sterling, an analyst with forecasters and market researchers the Kelsey Group, about the Google move, adding that Google can pitch advertising products once relationships are set with small businesses.
The move adds another element to a rising portion of the search market, with analysts and providers alike seeing local search as a source of new and large search ad profits. Forecasters the Kelsey Group see the local American ad market hitting $5.1 billion by 2009 and local Web search accounting, potentially, for over half that, ad $3.4 billion, after local search ads in 2004 hit $162 million.
Google director of consumer Web products Marissa Mayer told reporters the search kings have stepped up their local ad and search efforts, with the local search tab on the Google home page and integration of maps and business information.
Yahoo has taken the hints, investing heavily in local search and looking to forge its own ties to small business with their own new tools and ad offerings, while analysts think both Google and Yahoo are looking to make moves with the small businesses who sell on Internet sites like eBay and—frustrated by the cost of doing business over the online auction giant—build new sites and buy Web search ads.
Google last year authorized BellSouth Corp.'s (NYSE: BLS - news) online Yellow Pages.
