Local Search Led By Google, Yahoo

Those two Internet players own nearly 60 percent of the local search market, which continues to grow at a strong pace.

ComScore networks said 63 percent of US online users, numbering around 109 million people, conducted some type of local search online in July 2006. Their report cited that as a 43 percent increase year over year from July 2005.

The figures for local search placed Google barely ahead of Yahoo, by only six-tenths of a percentage point. ComScore revealed the top ten by share during the Search Engine Strategies Local conference in Denver.

Here’s how local search sites stacked up by the numbers:

Share of Local Searches by Site
July 2006
Total U.S. Home, Work and University Locations
Source: comScore qSearch

Total Internet
Population Total Local Searches:
100% Google Sites 29.8% Yahoo! Sites 29.2% Microsoft Sites 12.3% Time Warner Network 7.1% Verizon Communications 6.6% YellowPages.com 3.9% Ask Network 2.7% Local.com 1.9% InfoSpace Network 1.9% DexOnline.com 1.4% All Other 3.2%
Local search online has started becoming a factor in offline activity. The comScore study said that during the second quarter of 2006, 47 percent of local searchers visited a local merchant as a result of their search behavior, while 41 percent made contact offline. More than one-third (37 percent) made contact online as a result of conducting a local area search.

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David Utter is a staff writer for Murdok covering technology and business.