WebProNews

SBC Communications has upgraded several features on its Internet Yellow Pages web site.

We've seen local search touted as having the most potential for growth for the search engine industry. Yahoo, Google, MSN, and even A9 have been directing efforts on maps and images into refining those local search results. A better local presence gives the engines greater opportunity to capture advertising from small to medium businesses.

Many of those efforts include Yellow Pages content. But one Internet Yellow Pages, backed by Dow component SBC Communications, wants its SmartPages.com site to get a bigger piece of that market.

San Antonio-based SBC, which recently observed in a report that $4 billion was "not much money" to spend on an IPTV initiative, has invested in redesigning the search capabilities of the SmartPages web site. Users can search for businesses by category, refine those results by subcategories or community, or search within those results.

Businesses who advertise with SBC can add to the features available from a SmartPages search. A result for that business could incorporate a click-to-call feature, a graphic, a link to online specials or coupons, or other useful functions.

According to a press release, SmartPages advertisers will have their ad distributed to YellowPages.com, Switchboard.com, and soon AOL Yellow Pages. Other value-adds would be priority-ranked ads and sponsored links.

David Utter is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business. Email him here.