Yahoo’s local search service in India which was shut down earlier has made a comeback in a new avatar. Yahoo has partnered with digital marketing company Getit to power its local search results. 
Under this partnership, Getit’s database of more than 3 million business listings will be accessible to Yahoo users on Yahoo local (which is a sub-branded portal on Getit).
Yahoo first launched local search in India through local.yahoo.in in 2008 with four city listings. In 2012, Yahoo shut down the local search business and redirected users to Yahoo homepage.
What happened to Call Ezee Investment?
In 2008, Yahoo India had invested in Call Ezee (for 30% stake), which wasn’t going anywhere. It took Yahoo almost 2 years to expand local search offerings to 6 more cities.
Local Search: The Beast
Local search market in India is a big beast to manage and web based players have found it difficult to survive in this industry (Google shutdown its voice based local search service), though the numero uno, i.e. JustDial is now planning an IPO.
Challenges range from finding monetization model to discovery (Google still drives the discovery part) of businesses.
Recommended Read: Facts & Myths in Indian Local Search Space [Insights from an Insider]
