June 28, 2004

Overture announces the launch of Local Match™, its new sponsored search product which delivers local search listings to consumers searching online for local products and services.

Through Local Match, advertisers can precisely target customers interested in a specific neighborhood and present customized offers and business details to them.

Overture's Local Match listings appear today in the U.S. on Yahoo! and MyCity.com and will be displayed on other popular sites including MSN, ESPN.com and certain sites within the InfoSpace network, including online directory sites Switchboard.com and InfoSpace.com and search sites Dogpile.com, WebCrawler.com, MetaCrawler.com and Excite.com.

Through its strong network of distribution sites, Local Match offers advertisers of all sizes -- including businesses that do not have a Web site -- the opportunity to reach consumers searching online for products and services in the advertiser's local area.

"Overture has built upon its core sponsored search product to deliver a highly relevant and precise local offering to businesses of all sizes, whether they have a Web site or not," said Geoff Stevens, General Manager, Local for Overture.

"The launch of Local Match marks yet another addition to our growing suite of integrated sponsored search offerings. As the product evolves, we are confident that both advertisers and consumers will realize the significant value of the highly targeted marketing and incredibly relevant search experience enabled by Local Match."

"Local search represents a very significant opportunity for both small and large advertisers, as consumers go online to find local business information," said Greg Sterling, program director for The Kelsey Group.

"Our research shows that slightly more than 25% of commercial searches performed by online buyers today are local, and we expect that figure to grow over time as local search capabilities continue to improve."

Local Match enables advertisers of all sizes to precisely target customers who are searching the Web to find products and services from a local provider. Specifically, advertisers have the ability to pinpoint a geographic area surrounding their business (between 0.5 to 100 miles) in which they would like their search listing to be shown.

For example, an electronics store in Austin, Texas could choose to have its listings displayed only to users searching for "DVD player" within a five-mile radius of its location. Similarly, a large national consumer electronics retailer could use Local Match to tailor its listings and discounts to customers who are looking to purchase items at specific local stores.

In addition, for businesses that do not have a Web site, Local Match provides a customizable business information page that offers key details about their business, such as a street address, phone number, payment options, hours of operation and a dynamic map.

Local Match is available today in the United States directly through Overture (http://www.overture.com) and will also be offered through select directory partners and online marketplaces.

Source: ZD Net

        

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