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Yahoo! Unveils Next Generation Mobile Search

So what are these fancy functions all about?

Search Assist:
Those of you who use Yahoo!'s current web search will more than likely have seen the Search Assist feature which provides likely suggestions of relevant searches as you enter your query. This will be particularly useful for the mobile format, saving users precious typing to find answers.

Voice Enabled Search:
The name says it all really - in a medium driven by audio, it seems logical to have voice based search functionality. The challenge will be the accuracy of the voice recognition.

Idle Screen Access:
Most mobile/cell phones utilize idle screen functionality to save battery charge. Yahoo! will provide access from this idle screen to its search functionality - saving mobile users the hassle of drilling into their phone apps to start their search.

Open Search Results:
Yahoo! plans to open up their search results to publishers to enrich the content available. I'm not sure how they plan to manage abuse of such content integration, and what content specifically will be allowed. I guess we'll find out as oneSearch gets rolled out.

All told, the enhancements sound promising, especially given the rate that mobile search is growing.

For business and website owners, this further reinforces the importance of local search services. Enhancements in mobile search will be the key catalyst behind localized online marketing growth, be that local SEO, localized search advertising, or local search listings.

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