Yahoo! not planning to invest in local search and maps market during the short term: Mayer

New Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer has announced the company isn’t planning to make any large investments to tackle Google in the local search and maps space in the short term.

According to Search Engine Land, Mayer said that online media giant says search remains a “core priority” for the company and will be a core strategic focus for her as CEO.

However, the deep investments required in local search prevent it from becoming a core focus for the company.

“I really do love [local], but it requires a deep investment, a lot of energy and time to build terrific listings,” Mayer said.

“We already have some products in this area. They’re good at the moment, but it’s hard to take that next step.”

“We don’t expect to make changes in the short term. It’s not an area where we’re going to make significant investments right now.”

Last month, Apple was widely criticised following the release of its Apple Maps product, highlighting the difficulties facing companies seeking to compete against Google in the local search and maps space.