Key to local Web ad: organization and scale

Marchex, a local online advertising company and publisher of local content, has just released 'Unlocking the Potential of the Local Internet,' a 12-page primer that combines a detailed overview of the local search market opportunity with concise and easy- to-reference charts covering the industry's key players and online destinations. The report, which features analysis of the specific challenges that those in the space need to overcome to truly unlock the huge potential of the local Internet, is available for free at www.marchex.com/reports and http://www.localpoint.com/. Among the findings of today's 'Unlocking the Potential of the Local Internet' report, Marchex concludes that companies wishing to have large-scale success in local search will need to have the following characteristics:

1. They will own a critical mass of local traffic AND a critical mass of local advertisers, either directly or through partnerships;
2. 
   They will provide comprehensive content and information across business listings and ALL locales, making it just as easy for consumers to find the perfect plumber in Poughkeepsie
   as it is to find the perfect hotel in New York City;
3. 
   They will offer a variety of products and services at scale for local small- to medium-sized businesses (SMB) advertisers. While the bulk of local advertisers will not self-provision, they will become more sophisticated about local search and will require similar products and services to national advertisers, including analytics and services such as pay-per- phone call and call-tracking.