To attract small business advertisers on Yahoo Local, Yahoo is offering a relatively simple flat-fee structure - dubbed Featured Listings - instead of auction- and keyword-based ads, reports ClickZ. Featured Listings are guaranteed to appear on local search results pages and have price points from $20 to $300 per month, with higher-demand categories and higher-population centers costing more (see rate-card graphic).

Advertisers also pay more for appearing above organic results. Only 12 listings are available per category for each region, with three appearing above the organic results and three below. Placements are on a first-come, first-served basis. Advertisers will receive reports on pageviews and clicks. Yahoo is also offering a free five-page website to Featured Listings advertisers.

Garrett French had the lowdown on Yahoo's Featured Listings last week and offers some musings on why the listings haven't been integrated into Yahoo Maps - as well as a veritable host of links to get the mind churning.