Michael Boland
Recent articles by Michael Boland
Local Search: Where's the Love?
Local search sometimes seems like Rodney Dangerfield: It can't get no respect. But there have also been glimmers of hope for local, if you watch closely enough. Dec 19, 2008
Searching for Something to Watch
TV and search are converging. Finding something good to watch could soon be more like online search, and less like browsing through a cable channel guide. Nov 21, 2008
The Future of Online Ads: Location, Location, Location
Location awareness -- the concept that a device knows exactly where it is -- is changing the way mobile search works. Search applications are being developed to tap into this capability and serve more locally relevant content. The next steps will be for national advertisers and ad networks to serve ads that are actually useful and actionable for local users. Oct 24, 2008
When will ROBO's Time Come?
"Research online, buy offline," (ROBO) is the concept that a growing volume of product research is happening online while the majority of buying remains offline in physical stores. A growing number of local search engines are basing their business model on the concept. But why haven't ROBO features picked up on a mass market level? Sep 26, 2008
For Local Search, It's All About the Online-Offline Gap
The need to bridge the gap between the online and offline worlds is a key issue in local search. Though search volume continues to rise and capture a growing percentage of product research, more than 95 percent of actual purchase behavior in the U.S. still takes place offline. Aug 29, 2008
Has Mobile Local Search Finally Arrived?
Can the iPhone and Google's Android fix the limitations that have plagued mobile advertising and mobile search? It could take a couple years to really get moving, but after a long period of being rusted shut, it appears that the wheels are finally starting to creak forward on local mobile search. Aug 1, 2008
What Can TV Learn from Search?
A few television and cable companies appear to have taken a page from the online marketing playbook. But if television networks are to take a page from the Internet, they should take the entire page. In other words it's not just effective placement, but direct response capability that has made search marketing shine. Jul 11, 2008
The 3G iPhone: Good Things Come in Threes
Social media has been positioned by many as a killer app for mobile, along with local search. The combination of all three -- mobile, local, and social -- makes sense, as they go hand in hand in lots of situations. The new 3G iPhone could introduce entirely new ways to think about mobile, and a whole new batch of mobile products built on them. Jun 13, 2008
Black, White, and Blue all Over
The LA Times is in the midst of an aggressive online product rollout. If anyone should be able to build solid local content sites, it's newspapers. It's their game to lose, with a sizeable but quickly closing head start, as publishers across the country sit on their hands. May 9, 2008
Think Universal, Act Local
Much of the discussion around Universal search, or blended search, focuses on video and images. But local search may be a more important factor, one that has the greatest impact in blended search results. Apr 11, 2008
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