It’s encouraging to see Kelsey Group take a lead role in sponsoring the industry dialog on the verticalization of local search.

We all have our own definitions of vertical search - most commonly we align around large shopping niches such as automotive, real estate and A&E. However, of late, we’re seeing this expand beyond “classified verticals” into key life event or considered purchase segments such as attorneys (avvo), weddings (wedding channel) and new homes (zillow).

why are YP’s vertically challenged?

Why are publishers watching the development of local vertical search from the wrong side of the podium?

Having spent the past 5 years processing YP advertising records into deep searchable content, it is exciting to see this trend reach mainstream. The industry is remarkably well equipped for tackling local vertical search, yet so little attention has formed in the frontal lobe of the industry.

Why do I think we’re so well poised for this opportunity?

attorney search - a case in point

Let’s take Avvo, a well organized local shopping portal for attorney search. Avvo has obviously invested in structured shopping to give the consumer a detailed way to filter down its results by practice areas. On top of this, they blend consumer reviews and industry-specific rating schemes. It’s nicely packaged into an experience that encourages structured and comparative searching, and active participation by the consumer and the business.

Now, go to Dexknows.com - and work through an attorney search example - try “bankruptcy attorney” in Seattle:

View the left hand navigation filtering choices - the tools are there to fully refine the search based on detailed comparative attributes of each law firm or attorney.

Select on the “show more refinements” and you also see “assurances” and “reputation” search attributes - the kind of content that has used by consumers for decades as “proxies for review content”.

The site also has the ingredients of consumer ratings and reviews, comparison shopping and personal list building and planning tools.

So, “buried deep inside” an IYP site you can see the framework to create an AVVO. Couple this with the the YP sales team’s content collection abilities, and you have all the pieces for an AVVO killer.

But this isn’t really about AVVO or Dexknows - I can readily expand this example across dozens and dozens of vertical search segments, and apply it to any YP publisher’s assets and market position.

IYP - the inn-n-out experience

Much of the challenge in tackling vertical search lies in the ruts we have worn deeply into the IYP user experience. For nearly a decade now, we’ve taught the consumer to come in, find a business, get the number/address, and leave to make a call or visit the merchant.

Ask just about any IYP site owner today, and you’ll hear this same observation - “richer navigation” features are used today by a small minority of users. We have created a drive-thru experience for the consumer, so it’s no real surprise that the sit down menu for a carefully crafted meal gets met with some head scratching.

The real danger in this observation is to conclude therefore, it’s not useful.

What we really have is a growing crisis in brand and experience.

necessity, reinvention’s mother

Like it or not, the ruts we’ve come to rely on - business name and simple category look-ups - do not give us a predictable foundation upon which to secure the growth opportunity in online yellow pages. Portal search is getting this problem nailed better every year, and is increasingly unlikely to direct a search consumer to an IYP to meet the search need.

Equally importantly, the documented spending of advertisers in key life events and considered shopping categories is growing in value and scale every day. The business case is approaching slap-your-forehead obvious.

So, the choice is there - build a position in vertical search, or see it systematically siphon off into new vertical sites in the coming years.

just how far will yellow stretch?

Underlying this trend is a critical brand and positioning decision. The YP brand is a double edged sword when it comes to expanding the business scope. The IYP “deep ruts” pose challenges as we realign consumer usage into a combo of drive-through and sit down uses. Can we create vertical channels inside the YP brand and website model, or do we have to create a new network of brands built to encompass a range of verticals?

Important stuff, hats off to Kelsey for igniting the conversation.

Posted by Perry on Wednesday, May 7th, 2008 at 5:16 am.