Looks like the folks at Yahoo! Local have released an update to their product line targeted at local merchants. This new feature set which adds Local Featured Listings, a new and easy way to buy fixed positioning on results pages. The system is basically ’sponsored links’, but with classified/Yellow Page ad component. This release note was just posted on the Y! Search Blog titled Delivering Flowers, Delivering Babies, discussing the ‘new’ benefits of the program to the advertising community.

A screenshot of Local Featured Listings below:

John Battelle thinks:

“it’s looking a lot like what the Yellow Pages do, only online, self service, cheaper, and, well, what I’ve been on about for a while - a step towards the online version of what the Yellow Pages really need to become.”

Most completely agree with Mr. Battelle, and glad we’re not alone in thinking this is a fantastic and long overdue integration of the old Yellow Pages classifieds business model; pay for an ad on the top of the page - and the old print and offline mentality never dies.

So, If you cannot beat ‘em, Join them,” isn’t that the old saying?

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