Microsoft announced a deal with Yahoo in which Bing would power the portal’s search for the next decade. Consumers could still perform searches at yahoo.com, but Microsoft would provide the results and the automated buying platform for advertisers. Yahoo would provide the worldwide relationship sales force for both companies’ premium search advertisers.

The move, meant to challenge the industry giant by consolidating about 26% of search share to Google’s 65%, is currently in regulatory review and is expected to be implemented next year.

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Google is still in a very commanding position with a 65% market share worldwide (higher in the UK where it stands above 90%). And it’s this dominance of the market that makes Microsoft and Yahoo’s partnership such good news. A stronger player in the search market that offers credible competition to Google can potentially work for advertisers.

Online has traditionally been an area that has seen great competition and this competition have driven technological innovation that has benefited everyone.

Microsoft has invested billions in search technology and is counting on Bing, unveiled last month, to seriously challenge Google. Bing has driven mostly positive responses from those who have used it but this deal with Yahoo will allow them to show it to a much wider audience. Google won’t sit idle and allow its market share to be eaten away.

It has already announced measures to upgrade its own search engine with ‘Google Caffeine’. While this could also be a PR exercise to counter the buzz around the Microsoft/Yahoos partnership, Google Caffeine is seeking to improve search results in terms of size of index, indexing speed, accuracy, comprehensiveness and relevancy of search results. Google is also going after Microsoft’s traditional business with news of developing a free operating system for inexpensive PCs as a challenge for Microsoft Windows.

This increased competition in the online world will lead to better services for consumers, advertisers and publishers. While the actual partnership between Microsoft and Yahoo is still a few years away, the threat has already caused Google to up its game.

At the same time, if Bing is to catch Google, both Microsoft and Yahoo will be forced to be extremely innovative with their products to eat into the Google lead.

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Satya Nadella, SVP of Microsoft’s Online Services Division, gave the morning keynote at the Microsoft Bing Summit in Carlsbad, CA last week. It was an introduction to Bing. The main reason I am highlighting this discussion is that Nadella explains that people engage in long search sessions when making purchase decisions. Almost 50% of time spent searching is spent during sessions longer than 30 minutes.
The slide shows 66% of people are using search more frequently as a decision-making tool; and in their strategic verticals:

• 75% product purchases
• 62% Local activity
• 45% Flight or hotel
• 43% Healthcare

It just keeps getting better for local business on the internet

In the U.S. at the end of 2007 there are well over 10 billion unique searches done each month. Of those searches 4 billion have Local intent (42% increase from 2006). Out of all local business searches, 86% of Internet users follow up their search with a phone call or a visit to the store. Of those, 61% end up making a purchase.

On top of that data, respected technology experts around the world think the world of mobile search is ready to take off in 2009 and 2010. In some places around the world, like Japan, many of these technologies are already in place. They’re in use even in the United States, with more sophisticated devices like the iPhone. Mobile searches are primarily going to pull their results from Local Search Engines.

So what are the pieces to Local Search Listings?

Local online directories such as Google® Maps and YellowPages.com™ are the Internet yellow pages. Profiling your business in these directories is similar to listing your phone number in the traditional yellow pages. Today, customers turn to the Internet to find a pizza store, a beauty parlor or a home improvement contractor in their area. Make sure your business is listed in local online directories where customers are looking for it.

So how do I submit my Business to Local Search Engines, Online Yellow Pages and Local Social Networks? And how do I update or correct wrong entries? – Sometimes this isn’t easy to figure out!- For some sites you can do that online, through an online interface, but in other cases you will need to contact the Core Data Provider of the site in question.

Taking control of your business’ Local Search Information is the Key to any effective Internet marketing strategy. I can help you to find the right pages on the sites and give guidance to how & where each site (ex. Google, MSN, Yahoo) get their business data from – because only if you know that you can control it. Email me for FREE 20 minute appointment.