Portal powerhouse Yahoo has added a new tool to its
local search service that sends query results in the form of a text message
from a user’s computer to their mobile phone.
Yahoo Local, which provides business listings, became the first major
player to offer users the option of forwarding search results from their PC
directly to their mobile device using Short Message Service (SMS).
The information with the new service, forwarded from the PC after a
simple click of the “send to phone” button, includes the name of the
business, phone number and address from the search results. The message also
has a link that can send a call to the business, according to the company.
Chris Winfield, president of search engine marketing firm 10E20, said the
explosion of mobile phone use over the past several years is one logical
reason search companies are moving in this direction.
“Mobile devices are the next evolution in controlling the search market,”
he said.
Winfield also said the move comes at a time when competition in the Web
search market is heating up, and big name players are constantly looking to
gain market share in an increasingly competitive landscape.
“Yahoo is always trying to keep users interested, knowing that
they have to be proactive in order to keep people on their site,” he said.
Yahoo said the service is available with U.S. wireless carriers,
Cingular/AT&T Wireless, Verizon, Sprint/Nextel and T-Mobile. Although the
company offers the service for free, some carriers may charge SMS fees.
As reported yesterday by internetnews.com, Amazon.com
rolled out its latest version of the Yellow Pages that provides 20 million
photos of local businesses and their surroundings in 10 major cities.
And last October, Google launched
an SMS service similar to Yahoo’s. It allows users to search for content on Google’s site
using their mobile phones.
