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Overture is rolling out Local Match today. Local Match ads will appear in the same places on search engine results pages (SERPS) that their normal pay per click a (Precision Match) ads do.
Local Match will allow you to set a custom display radius around your business from .5 to 100 miles. When users within your chosen region click on your ad it brings up a map display of your business location. You must have a business location to participate in Overture's Local Match program.
With Local Match there is no monthly minimum spend and businesses are not required to have a website. The minimum cost per click is 10 cents, it costs $20 to open an account, and you do not need to be a client of Overture's other services to sign up with Local Match.
With the local business' signup data, including address, it will create a Yahoo-sponsored locator page with driving directions and other information to direct Web surfers offline. Yahoo, ESPN, MSN, and Infospace will be among the first companies to begin displaying the locally targeted ads in search results. source: News.com (Local Match will also appear on CitySearch...)
Geoff Stevens, general manager of local search at Overture, said the company would give distribution partners flexibility in how they implemented the listings. For example, Yahoo could pass along ZIP code information for searchers signed in as members, while another search partner could use IP targeting to determine location. Many will ask users to identify their location for local results, he said.
Google also offers advertisers the option of targeting within a mile radius, but the minimum distance is 20 miles. Stevens said Local Match’s half-mile radius option would provide more precise advertiser targeting and more relevant listings for searchers. ...
A Verizon study in late 2002 estimated that 63 percent of small businesses lack Web sites. To solve this problem, Overture asks each Local Match advertiser to fill out a short business questionnaire including hours of operation, address, credit cards accepted and a short description. The business information is presented to a searcher clicking on a listing, along with a map showing the business’s location.
The Kelsey Group has estimated that the local search market could reach $2.5 billion in 2008, depending on how successful Google and Yahoo are in deploying local search opportunities. The researcher thinks that 10 percent of all searches are for local commercial information.
One major problem facing its widespread adoption is the self-service ad model. Stevens said Overture would look to partner with yellow pages and newspaper publishers that already have sales forces, in addition to promotion through direct mail. source: DMnews
See also: Overture Local Match FAQs
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