Local Search’s Growth Bolstered by Google, Yahoo

According to recent figures released by comScore Networks, local search is continuing its ascent.

The study for the month of July found that about 109 million people in the U.S., or about 63% of the American online population, performed local searches on the Internet, which was a 43% increase from the same month in 2005.

Not surprisingly, Google and Yahoo! online properties led the way, with 29.8% and 29.2% shares of the pie respectively. Microsoft sites followed with a 12.3% share, while the Time Warner Network had a 7.1% share.

Verizon Communications took 6.6% of the total local searches, while YellowPages.com garnered 3.9% of the total.

The Ask Network, Local.com, InfoSpace Network, and DexOnline.com rounded out the top 10, while other online local search properties took 3.2% of the total.

The study took into account home, work, and university locations in the U.S. when coming up with these figures.

“With approximately 849 million local searches conducted by Americans in July, local advertisers have a sizable market that can be reached through leading search sites,” said Jack Flanagan, executive vice president of comScore Media Metrix.

Additionally, comScore reports that 41% of those carrying out local searches were looking for something in their home area, and of this segment, 59% said they were looking for a restaurant or another entertainment-related location.

Fifty-two percent of those in the U.S. conducting local searches said they were looking for a specific business phone number or address.

Those conducting local searches also exhibited strong initiative. Forty-seven percent of local searchers actually went to one of the local merchants listed in their results, while 41% of them contacted the merchant through an offline method.

As Google and Yahoo! try to burst forward to break the close race, it should be expected that mobile devices will become a key factor. Microsoft recently partnered with Nokia to push its Live Search on Nokia’s mobile devices. If that goes well, Microsoft will likely increase its share of the market, which is still in its early stages.

Source:

http://www.comscore.com/press/release.asp?press=1017