WebProNews

Yahoo-owned advertising service, Overture, is expected to announce a set of new local advertisers options. Overture is offering these services in an attempt increase local advertising revenue while increasing the usability of their ad campaigns.

According to CNet.com, these new features will include the ability to target advertising based on mileage. The range is from a half-mile extending to 100 miles.

Overture will also be generating Yahoo sponsored location pages that will include driving directions.

Local businesses without a homepage will also be allowed to participate. This is a first for Overture. By doing this, they will be offering a service designed to operate similar to the Yellow Pages. For business without a web presence Overture will generate a customizable business information page that offers key details about their business, such as a street address, phone number, payment options, hours of operation and a dynamic map.

The first companies expected to use this service are Yahoo, ESPN, Infospace, and MSN.

Update: Overture just issued a press release outlining their new local service, called LocalMatch. It will begin appearing today in the U.S. on Yahoo and MyCity.com, as well as MSN and ESPN.

"Overture has built upon its core sponsored search product to deliver a highly relevant and precise local offering to businesses of all sizes, whether they have a Web site or not," said Geoff Stevens, General Manager, Local for Overture. "The launch of Local Match marks yet another addition to our growing suite of integrated sponsored search offerings. As the product evolves, we are confident that both advertisers and consumers will realize the significant value of the highly targeted marketing and incredibly relevant search experience enabled by Local Match."

The release also fleshes out the targeting capabilities Overture will offer. For example, an electronics store in Austin, Texas could choose to have its listings displayed only to users searching for "DVD player" within a five-mile radius of its location. Similarly, a large national consumer electronics retailer could use Local Match to tailor its listings and discounts to customers who are looking to purchase items at specific local stores.

Chris Richardson is a search engine writer and editor for WebProNews. Visit WebProNews for the latest search news.