Following in others' footsteps, Yahoo says it's now showing its local shortcut on certain queries that don't include a local modifier. When you search for the name of a business, or a local business category, Yahoo will show the local shortcut if it believes the search has local intent. For me, typing "pizza" into Yahoo's search box returns a map with local results. Google started doing the same thing this spring, and Bing also offers the same feature, so Yahoo is playing a bit of catch-up here. But Yahoo's results will, in some cases, be better because, when available, it uses the [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Yahoo: Maps & Local | Yahoo: Shortcuts

After a trial run in four markets, Yahoo has just launched Neighbors nationwide. Neighbors is an interesting and potentially very strong addition to Yahoo Local's offerings. It's been around since November 2007, when it debuted in two California markets. More recently, it's been available in the San Francisco area, New York, Chicago, and Dallas. There's no formal announcement of the service yet, just a lone tweet posted earlier tonight from the Yahoo Real Estate account. But don't let that distract you from what could become a successful local effort, particularly in larger cities with a large [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Features: Analysis | Top News | Yahoo: Maps & Local

As the dust begins to settle on the Microsoft-Yahoo search deal, we're finding that this week's announcement raised as many questions as it answered. The companies told Danny and Greg that the agreement covers "web, image, and video search." But what about the many search verticals that Yahoo and Microsoft are involved in? These are areas that, if not technically covered by the "web, image, and video search" label, are certainly highly connected to those products. And they're likely to feel the impact of Micro-Hoo's plans in some way, at some point. One of those verticals is the Local/Maps [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Microsoft: Bing Maps & Local | Microsoft: Business Issues | Top News | Yahoo: Business Issues | Yahoo: Maps & Local

Yahoo has announced a nice change to the way it shows local search results for businesses. The Local Shortcut, which has always indicated things like how many reviews/ratings a business has, is now expanded to include the actual text of those reviews and other information like photos and driving directions. All of this is available right inside the shortcut. As you see above, the new options appear as tabs below the business entry. Clicking any tab opens up a new layer of content so users can see the photos, read the reviews, or get driving directions with no extra clicks needed. [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Yahoo: Maps & Local | Yahoo: Search

These days it's hard to remember that at one time Yahoo was the pioneer in dynamic mapping. It introduced enhanced local search features and capabilities into the map before Google, Microsoft and MapQuest. At a certain point, however, Yahoo opted out of the map feature wars that erupted between Google and Microsoft (StreetView, 3D, aerial, UGC). Since that time there have been a range of incremental improvements for Yahoo Maps. Accordingly the company said that it has given Yahoo Maps a "face lift" in the UK, and in France. There are a range of improvements discussed. While these ongoing im [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Features: Analysis | Yahoo: Business Issues | Yahoo: Employees | Yahoo: Maps & Local

Yesterday Yahoo spoke about taking search much more into the real world by turning "web pages" into "web objects." Today there were a couple of announcements at the Where 2.0 conference related to identifying unstructured data online and linking it according to places and locations -- in other words made geo-relevant. Tyler Bell of Yahoo gave the talk at Where about a "geo-enriched location-aware internet." Where is a very developer-focused event. Bell's talk was essentially about building the location "infrastructure" that will help support the vision articulated at the Yahoo Search event [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Yahoo: APIs | Yahoo: Maps & Local | Yahoo: Search

When the Yahoo-Newspaper consortium was announced in early 2007 both Yahoo and the newspaper industry were stronger and in better shape than they are today. (That's certainly true for newspapers.) Since that time Yahoo has suffered through the MicroHoo episode, gone through a couple reorgs, laid off a meaningful chunk of its workforce and gained a new CEO. The newspapers, for their part are mired in a well-publicized crisis, with ad revenues falling precipitously and major publishers making dramatic newsroom cuts, some declaring bankruptcy and even shutting down publications entirely. Now c [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Yahoo: Business Issues | Yahoo: Display Ads | Yahoo: Maps & Local | Yahoo: Partnerships

The Yahoo Search Blog announced that Yahoo oneSearch shortcut has been improved and expanded. A new auto-locate feature will detect your location on some mobile devicesEnhanced Search Assist that incorporates the user’s recent search history was added andExpanded availability on Windows Mobile client including the latest latest Nokia and BlackBerry This service also has voice search features. To give it a try on your mobile device, go to http://m.yahoo.com/voice. [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Mobile | Yahoo: Maps & Local | Yahoo: Mobile & Go | Yahoo: Search

A lawsuit over a Yelp.com review has been settled, but the larger issue of how business owners, customers, and review sites will co-exist online remains wide open. CNET is reporting that a San Francisco chiropractor and his disgruntled patient have settled their differences over a negative review that the patient posted on Yelp. Dr. Steven Biegel sued Christopher Norberg for defamation when Norberg questioned the chiropractor's billing practices in his Yelp review. Neither side is discussing the terms of their settlement, but Norberg has updated his review on Biegel's Yelp business listing [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Google: Maps & Local | Legal: General | Search Engines: Maps & Local Search Engines | Yahoo: Maps & Local

India is something of a parallel universe in terms of search and internet activity. It's a massive and incredibly dynamic market but distinct from the US and Europe in important ways. All the major engines are competing there and it's also often a testing ground for new products. For example Yahoo's "Glue Pages" were released and tried there before coming to the US. Now Yahoo has bought a 30 percent stake in a local information database and directory assistance provider in the market: Info Network Management Company, which runs the Call Ezee service. Seen as a way to secure local data and prov [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Mobile | Microsoft: Bing Maps & Local | Microsoft: Outside US | Microsoft: Partnerships | Search Engines: Maps & Local Search Engines | Yahoo: Business Issues | Yahoo: Maps & Local | Yahoo: Mobile & Go | Yahoo: Outside US | Yahoo: Partnerships

As Google Maps continues to roll out new features that competing map services don't have, web users are rewarding it with big gains in traffic. A recent analyst report says Google is the number one maps site in terms of features and usability, and new Hitwise.com traffic data just shared this week with Search Engine Land shows Google Maps pulling much closer to category leader MapQuest. In a report issued this week, the boutique investment bank Cowen and Company says Google is the clear leader with the most user-friendly features among the four major mapping sites. "Google Maps has meaningf [...]

Related Topics: AOL: Local | AOL: MapQuest | Ask: City | Ask: Maps | Channel: Mobile | Google: Maps & Local | Google: Mobile | Microsoft: Bing Maps & Local | Stats: Hitwise | Yahoo: Maps & Local

Yahoo announced that they have added some features to Yahoo Maps. The main improvements include better local search integration, usability enhancements, and printable view changes. Here is the full list of features: Improved Local Search integration that utilizes the Search/Direct Display Index More user-friendly Driving Directions - a more user-friendly left rail that’s both wider and more legible (larger text), for easier reading of driving directions A redesigned Print Page The ability to minimize multiple driving direction instructions to save vertical space The ability to displa [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Yahoo: Maps & Local

SEO practitioner David Mihm conducted a survey of local search marketing professionals about which variables they believe most heavily influence local rankings and results. It's a great resource for those interested in local SEO and related issues. Rather than a simple list, it's an open discussion of the criteria and considerations that appear to boost or harm local rankings. As Mihm describes the project: I invited 20 experts active in the Local Search Marketing community to participate in this study, with the goal of identifying the factors that would be most helpful for ranking well in [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Google: Maps & Local | Yahoo: Maps & Local

The BrandVerity Blog noticed that Yahoo started displaying the business's location under the search ads. For example, a search on lawyers in Yahoo returns several ads that display New York under them. Why New York? Because I am based in New York. If you are located in California, you might see California labeled under the ads. Here is a screen capture: Google has been doing this at least since July 2004, and Google has even experimented with showing the exact address underneath the search ad. I have an email in with Yahoo to find out if this is a new feature. Danny Sullivan, Greg Ste [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Yahoo: Maps & Local | Yahoo: Search Ads

A new research paper from Yahoo and Cornell University -- with search legend Jon Kleinberg as one of the coauthors -- provides a fascinating look at how a search query such as "red sox" or "hurricane deal" can be centered around a physical location -- including one that changes over time. The paper -- Spatial Variation in Search Engine Queries -- made use of Yahoo query logs to see if queries could be tracked back to particular areas. Each person doing a query has an internet IP address. Those IP addresses (with some filtering done to deal with people using the same [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Search Engines: Maps & Local Search Engines | Stats: Search Behavior | Yahoo: Maps & Local

Yahoo just announced that it has added a nifty tool to Local (called "search circle") that allows uses to alter the geographic scope of results by expanding or narrowing a circle on the map. The circle can also be dragged to a particular area easily, allowing for more efficient neighborhood search (screenshots below and on the Yahoo Local & Maps Blog). Here's an example search for "Restaurants, San Francisco": The circle can then be easily narrowed or shifted, bringing up a different set of results by location: Ask City has had a similar tool for some time, allowing users to draw [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Yahoo: Maps & Local

Yahoo has largely opted out of the mapping arms race between Microsoft and Google that has seen both invest millions in their mapping platforms. While it was the early pioneer of dynamic mapping and use of maps as a local search tool, the company decided to focus on more "practical" tools and functionality rather than features such as street-level photography or 3D modeling. However, it has continued to do interesting things with maps in a more incremental fashion. But today the Yahoo Local & Maps Blog has details on a big new infusion of aerial and satellite imagery for the US market. Yahoo [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Yahoo: Maps & Local

I've been writing about Mapspam appearing in both Google and Yahoo search results for some time now. Mapspam is where black hat SEOs spam local search and map listings, and like all black hat techniques, it seems to get more sophisticated as the search engines find ways to combat the spammers' techniques. There's a new species of mapspam that's particularly obnoxious: affiliate mapspam, first reported at the eClick Performance Blog. With the search engines' new open policies allowing even non-owners of businesses to edit local business listings, unscrupulous affiliates take advantage of a loo [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEO | SEO: Spamming | Yahoo: Maps & Local

Yahoo Maps has announced a range of improvements. These include expanded global coverage, including better data and coverage of Eastern Europe; and, in the US, more "granular" neighborhood data for 300 cities and 12,000 neighborhoods. Functionality has been improved as well. Tiles are "lighter" for faster load times, colors and styles have been adjusted, and there are several other visual improvements. Yahoo virtually invented dynamic mapping, but in the past year or so it has ceded much of the innovation to Google and Microsoft, which have both poured millions into advanced mapping features [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Yahoo: Maps & Local

Last Friday, shortly after the Microsoft bid for Yahoo was made public, Danny and I had an opportunity to discuss the proposed acquisition with Yusuf Mehdi, senior vice president of strategic partnerships for Microsoft. Our questions to Mehdi often returned to post-acquisition "integration" issues. I brought up local, maps, and mobile as areas where both companies had made significant investments but also had significant duplication and redundancy. Mehdi responded, "We have not made decisions at that level, such as what to do with maps or mobile products. Every alternative is on the table. We [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Local Search | Microsoft & Yahoo Search Deal | Microsoft: Bing 411 | Microsoft: Bing Maps & Local | Microsoft: Business Issues | Yahoo: Business Issues | Yahoo: Maps & Local