Syndicated & Private Label Local Search
Syndicated or private-label local search is one of the fastest growing segments of the local advertising industry. This targeted search-based advertising provides new avenues of added revenue for local media sites and advertisers, while providing consumers with specific, detailed results to search queries along with targeted ads that match the search criteria - effectively turning searchers into customers.
Private-label local search drives new traffic from home page links and search engine referrals, as well as new revenues from third-party ad feeds like Google, Yahoo, Local.com or direct advertising sold by private-label customers. And this form of syndicated search also drives new content to small business websites including business profiles, business ratings and reviews.
This means that by adding local search to their website, regional media sites are able to grab their share of local search traffic, while increasing advertising revenues in the process.
How it All Breaks Down
For local media sites specifically, syndicated local search can increase traffic, boost revenues and provide fresh content, making their websites more useful and helpful to their audience. Syndication also allows media sites to retain and/or substantially increase their revenues as local advertising dollars move from traditional print and broadcast media to the Web. Syndication of advertising additionally allows local media websites to gain revenue by providing incremental distribution for their advertisers.
For advertisers, private-label local search can provide more leads or the option to advertise online with a trusted local partner. New local search engines can tightly integrate queries to match businesses to users ready to buy specific products or services. Local search engines employ geo-targeted algorithms to help deliver the most relevant search results possible.
Consumers also benefit as they have the ability to retrieve targeted local search information from a trusted source. As many as one-third of all Web searches are local and commercial in nature - consumers are looking for local providers of products and services to best meet their needs.
Providers of syndicated, private-label local search solutions, such as Local.com, provide media websites looking for such offerings the ability to increase their revenues and drive traffic.
In return, these media sites bring an established Web presence and a trusted local brand creating a "win-win" for both parties. In addition, these media sites often offer local advertiser relationships, the power of a local sales force and content such as local news, information, events, print ads, video ads and editorials, including restaurant reviews.
"We think that it is absolutely crucial that our newspaper expand the services we are able to offer advertisers; beyond traditional print ads, banners, tiles and classified ads online," said Ernesto Burden, vice president Digital Media, The Telegraph. "We see search and local search as key opportunities for our advertisers and therefore we want to be able to provide those tools to them.
Syndicated and private-label local search is a growing billion-dollar market. According to The Kelsey Group, local search is projected to grow from $1.5 billion in 2006 to $6.2 billion in 2010. Also, 95 percent of the potential local search advertising market is virtually untouched, creating additional opportunities in a growing market.
So syndication initiatives integrated with local search represent a win for media sites as well as advertisers. But the real winner is the user who turns to the Internet to find those products and services that he or she is ready to buy.