In a recent report titled “The Geo-Google Threat,” the AIM Group and The Neil Budde Group says local search has the potential to change the advertising landscape more than job sites like Monster.com because local search cuts across a wide range of advertisers, products, services and ad categories. “Newspapers may find local search, along with the migration of audience and advertisers to interactive media, disrupts everything they know about advertising, as retail patterns shift and local advertisers find they can pay only for advertising that works,” the report warns.
The 59-page report that outlines the multiple threats posed by local search — and includes an extensive “action plan” for local media publishers. Among the suggestions:
• Get search on your site up to snuff
• Use paid search to sell subscriptions, classified ads and drive traffic
• Test pay-per-click, but be sure to measure and analyze
