While local search is a
growing niche in the search
industry, the reality isn't
quite matching up to users
expectations...at least not
according to an article
published yesterday in
ClickZ. The article cites
research conducted by the
Kelsey Group and Constat
that aims to rate users
satisfaction levels for
different types of media
when it comes to providing
local shopping information.
Search engines ranked second
in terms of satisfaction,
but still managed to please
just 39% of respondents.
That shows that the industry
has a long way to go.
The satisfaction levels for
each type of media were as
follows:
Newspapers: 45%
Internet search engines: 39%
Online shopping sites: 16%
Internet yellow pages: 15%
Local newspaper sites: 11%
Online message boards: 5%
What's disappointing is that
despite the investments
poured into local search by
top engines like Yahoo! and
Google, the Internet search
engine satisfaction rate of
39% is the same that it was
last year, meaning that
despite the new offerings,
users aren't finding it any
easier to get what they
want.
Neal Polachek, SVP of
research and consulting at
the Kelsey Group explains
one theory for this issue in
the ClickZ article. "I think
there's probably been an 18-
to 24-month window where the
product side of this thing
has developed very well,"
said Polachek. "Yahoo! has a
great local search product.
Google is pretty good. But
what's underneath all this
stuff isn't as good as it
can be or should be yet.
When I say what is
underneath, I mean the
data."
Polachek makes a good point
and it's something that I've
noticed in my own local
searches. While I've been
extremely impressed with
Yahoo!'s new system of
mixing user generated
reviews with maps and
business listings, the
reality is that the content
just isn't there yet. Until
enough users flock to these
systems with the willingness
to take the time to write
their own reviews, the
technology isn't going to
mean a whole lot to most
searchers. After all, what
good would Amazon be if
there wasn't enough data
there to make a book
suggestion? Who would visit
a comparison shopping engine
if there wasn't any data to
compare?
That means that the search
engine's next question might
not be "what technology do
we offer now?" Instead, they
might need to start asking
"how do we attract the user
generated content?"
When Yahoo! first launched
their new local search
interface, they ran a
contest that awarded prizes
to top reviewers. Other
engines have tried similar
stunts to drive interest
from consumers, but the
reality is that users will
have to come because they
want to, not just because a
company wants them to.
Some of the responsibility
for fleshing out local
search also lies with
business owners themselves.
I still find myself almost
constantly frustrated when I
try to check out a local
restaurant online. It takes
very little time to scan a
menu in and create a PDF,
yet very few local
restaurants have any type of
menu online. Even basic
information like whether
credit cards are accepted,
what the price range is and
what the level of dress is
would go a long way toward
satisfying a local searcher,
yet few local businesses
take the time to make sure
that even the most basic
data is offered up on the
major search engines.
I'm not sure where the
solution to this problem
lies, other than to say it's
with the consumers. I guess
that means the greater issue
isn't where the problem
lies, but how to incentivize
the right people into
solving the problem.
Discuss this article in the
Small Business Ideas forum.
Looking for a down-to-earth,
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