Is Yahoo! Local Being Revived?

[Linda Buquet]

Looks like Yahoo! Local may be working on some improvements in the background even though
back in October Marissa said they would not be investing in 'local'.

I don't really follow Yahoo or pay much attention to it these days - BUT if I were in Marissa's shoes, what I would have done is announce "no local" to throw G off scent, then put background resources into it and when ready blast onto the scene - with a much improved product. Not saying that's what's up.
Just saying it would make a lot of sense.

I say to Yahoo - bring it! Because we know nothing lights a fire under Google more than some healthy competition! And Google Local, even though we are seeing some much needed and appreciated increase in both resources and commitment, could still use a little push to get old problems resolved and new upgrades like the improved dashboard and G+ integration finished.

Colan Nielsen, my right hand man here and Local SEO Manager @ Imprezzio Marketing just blogged about some new changes over in YahooLocalLand.

Yahoo! Local Shows Signs of Life | Imprezzio Marketing

It appears as though there is a new reason to get a top local ranking in Yahoo! Danielle Cameron, our Director of Sales at Imprezzio Marketing, made a great discovery while doing a Yahoo! search this morning for Auto Insurance in Anchorage, AK.

What she discovered was a feature that highlights a local business listing right under the search bar. Check out the listing for Todd Jackson State Farm Insurance, and how it’s singled out and displayed right at the top of the page. Cool stuff dude!

Head over to see the screen shot and read the rest.

 

[Scott Rawlins]

Very interesting stuff. Look forward to hearing more about it.

 

[MiriamEllis]

Colan, thank you so much for blogging about this. I always appreciate it when Local SEOs offer some insight in something besides Google's products. I always learn something new. Cool catch!

 

[Colan Nielsen]

Thanks for highlighting my post, Linda!

Thanks Miriam and Rawly

Totally agree with you Linda. A little healthy competition is probably just what Google needs. As you mentioned, we have indeed seen an increase in Google's commitment to improving their local product, which has been much appreciated. It's nice to see Yahoo making some moves as well, however significant they may or may not be.