EQUTE — Advertisers are finding out that local ads are well worth the price.

New numbers from comScore show that despite the higher cost, advertisers are figuring out the fact that their money is being spent efficiently.

“Locally targeted ads are an increasingly important component of the digital ad landscape because they represent a more efficient allocation of ad dollars,” said comScore vice president Brian Jurutka. “comScore’s new capability allows us to identify and quantify these opportunities to deliver additional value to both advertisers and publishers alike.”

That efficiency does come at a price.

“Our research indicates that advertisers understand the value of locally targeted ads and are willing to pay a premium for them — anywhere from 20 to 100 percent — depending on the geography and vertical,” said Matt Booth, senior vice president and program director, Interactive Local Media, BIA/Kelsey.

comScore found that advertisers in Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Chicago and San Francisco put about 10 percent of their ad dollars into local ads.

The study found that between 9 and 11 percent of display ads in the four markets among all publisher sites were locally targeted. San Francisco (11 percent) and Washington D.C. (11 percent) had a relatively higher share of ads being locally targeted, while Atlanta (10 percent) and Chicago (9 percent) were slightly lower. Not surprisingly, in the regional/local site category — which includes sites like Yahoo! Local, Citysearch and Yelp — the share of display ads that were locally targeted was substantially higher at between 23-33 percent among the four markets.

These numbers give evidence to a growing personalization of the Internet. It’s no secret that consumers respond to personal messages, but new leaps in local advertising have made it much easier to craft those messages. Local and regional targeting takes longer, costs more and turns away from a national audience, but it simply works better. As Internet users get more and more used to online advertising, they are going to look for something that makes them feel less like one of a billion people online and look for ads and services that touch them closer to home.

Consumer still can’t see their advertiser, but it is easier to trust someone nearby — even if they aren’t.