Many of us are closely watching this local search sideshow. We wonder whether paying for a more tangible phone call will help to encourage SMEs (define) to adopt Internet advertising. We wonder if this advertising model will be more affordable and yield greater returns for local businesses.

After all, thanks to the Yellow Pages' rich history, a phone call is the lead generation unit most SMEs are familiar and comfortable with. So why are so many of those who are intimately familiar with the current pay-per-call models quietly shaking their heads? Because pricing variances, product complexities, and ad-serving unpredictability don't mix well with small business advertising.

Though pay per click (PPC) does share some of these characteristics, pay-per-call further exacerbates the issues and compounds an already complex problem associated with small businesses adopting Internet advertising; a problem many have spent years working to overcome.

One could argue the few providers that offer local ad inventory on a pay-per-call basis currently don't have a solution for small, local businesses. This is due to a complex, open-market bidding system that lacks consolidation tools and inventory and has rigid keyword-to-category mapping and a national ad-serving bias.

Many who service small businesses are attempting to reconcile the complex pay-per-call landscape and translate it for their clients. Let's not forget it took years of innovation, including the creation of new intermediaries, cross-platform application development, automated and consolidated bid and performance management, and simplified pricing solutions to simply start adoption of PPC advertising for small businesses.

Entire Article: http://www.clickz.com/experts/search/local_search/article.php/3551876