Webwork - 2:40 pm on Mar 11, 2005 (gmt 0)

1. What exactly is the scope or span or the special criteria for measuring what is included in this thing called "local search". What are the industry's criteria for assigning to any search the title "local search". Should we define 2 or more local search categories? "Local to searcher's locale" (I search for a source of auto parts in my county) vs. "Remote locality to searcher" (I search for a hotel in Boston where I'm attending a meeting)?

Jake: "Local search represents search for physical entities instead of websites: A physical presence or storefront." What about my search for information that will lead to the decision: Do I stay on the St. Martin side of the island or the St. Maarten side of the island?

Anyone care to cite another authoritative source, within the industry, for exactly what "local search" is, including the criteria that are applied to determine if the search is local? Is there a set of criteria? How are they applied? I have every reason to believe that WW is a locus of authority on local search. That said, I must conclude that the level of authority within the industry is inchoate.

2. No one has offered a statistical analysis for principal commercial targets of local search. So, we can't say if "remote to local" search is dominated by a search within a baker's dozen of verticals, such as search for "local" hotels, transportation, restaurants, professionals, etc.

Why is that data important? Well, if 70% of "remote to local search" is clustered around a few verticals, what can we say about whether search in those realms will or won't be dominated, as time passes, by a few verticals (Hotels.com, Expedia.com, Travelocity.com) versus search engines or IYPs?

Anyone have the search cluster data? Wouldn't such data be a solid predictor of trends in the local search market? Given the expected clustering (my expectation) will it be "meat for the verticals and crumbs for the rest"?

3. Just how local is "local search", i.e., local-to-locale search? If 70% of "local to searcher search" is for goods or services that can be found within 10 miles of home then won't a well crafted, home grown site - a local site for locals by locals - create constant if not insurmountable problems for the . . . ummmm cough cough carpetbaggers - who are simultaneously attemting to corner global, national, regional AND local markets?

Will the local-by-local site, that doesn't have to pay all the overhead associated with BIG CORP, including profits for shareholders, be able to hold its own if not thwart BIG CORP?

I could go on and, in fact, have done so in my several other recent posts. The bottom line for me is that I think the direction of conversation about local search "in the industry" is a bit blinded. Blinded by what I leave it to you all to decide or disagree with.

Should the big data providers start looking for ways to partner with the true locals as their primary channel of distribution? Will the company that masters this approach win the day? Maybe. Maybe the local-by-local sites, the well crafted ones, will simply say "We don't need your data, We have our own." Maybe someone ought to get to work on the model before they do.

I think the conversation ought to include focus on how certain verticals may - or may not - come to dominate the prime clusters of remote-to-local search. Can Hotels.com or Lawyers.com or Plumbers.com or Restaurants.com win the day or lose the day based upon their respective lack of or failure to grasp X, Y or Z?

This is one of the times where I fear that I am annoying some readers or failing to evoke an interesting dialogue by being too forceful in my opinions. Or, maybe there's not much to add as I am aptly describing an industry that lacks a clear grasp of itself, it's future, etc. (That should get a response.)

The YP Goliaths are stuck on being Goliath. Goliath has been living in the "size matters" world. Goliath has struggled with the new world where "technology matters". Goliath has struggled with the disruptive technology of the WWW. I wait to see if Goliath continues to shrug or move hesitantly.

In local-to-local search Goliath needs a massive and rather immediate shift of business model. In remote-to-local search Goliath may either find himself battling other Goliaths (IYPs vs SEs vs BarryDiller.com) while failing to keep an eye on the emergence of local-to-local searchers discovering the larger world of "other people's local-to-local" sites. "Hello, Chicago.com. This is WidgetCounty.com HTTPing".

If Goliath doesn't quickly reinvent himself then I expect little guys with slingshots will give Goliath a big headache. Goliath has been busy merging and acquiring and cosolidating, as if this is a fix to the problem. I'm afraid, though, that for Goliath the fix isn't to acquire the competition.

There's just too many little guys with slingshots to ever acquire all of them.