Privately held Kanoodle said on Monday it released LocalTarget, a Web search advertising product that targets ads to city-specific or local content pages.
The move comes amid massive investments in the local search market by Web search companies like market leader Google Inc. GOOG and its rival Yahoo Inc. <>
Local search tools aim to help Web searchers find information about nearby businesses, both large and small. Local advertising tools aim to help business owners attract potential customers.
"The majority of buying and selling happens locally. As a result, both national and local businesses spend close to $100 million annually trying to reach consumers in specific markets," said Greg Sterling, an analyst at The Kelsey Group.
((Reporting by Lisa Baertlein; Editing by David Gregorio; Reuters Messaging: lisa.baertlein.reuters.com@reuters.net; +1 415-677-2549))
