InternetThe Next Big Search Is Next Door
Search experts agree: 'Local' is the next big thing. Taking down Google? Not so much.
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- There's no such thing as a Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) killer and companies (from startups to mighty Microsoft) are crazy to think they can dethrone the search king. Second, Internet startups should be scrambling to mine the next big opportunity in search: providing local services enabled by the new generation of GPS-enabled phones and Web services like Twitter that track where you are and what you're doing. These are some insights and nuggets of advice search experts brought to the Search Engine Strategies conference here. "Local is the motherlode," said Tim Westergren, founder of Internet radio service Pandora. Speaking at a panel discussion Tuesday, Westergren said the challenge for search engines is to figure out how to give more exposure to sites that don't appear in top results page. "The search war today is a great popularity contest," he said. RELATED ARTICLES Search Engine Still 'Cuil' After Rough Launch? No Easy Answers For Data Privacy The Best Free Service You've Never Used For more stories on this topic: Another local advocate, Kirsten Mangers, co-founder and CEO of WebVisible, admitted she started touting location-based services nine years ago as being "six months away" but now she thinks the time has finally arrived. "To most of the world, local is absolutely mission critical," said Mangers whose company is a marketing agency for online small businesses. "Local is about... [ Read more on www.internetnews.com ]
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