If you are a local publisher still reeling from Craigslist and the collapse of display advertising, grab your helmet. Google is coming to town.

In recent months the search giant has released a dangerous trio of local services that newspapers and local publications should begin planning their counterattack (or their partnership agreements).

Each new feature is a clever integration of an existing Google service localized to maximize advertising revenue. Make no mistake, Google is putting significant resources into going local, and you should be prepared.

Google Maps Navigation for Android [link]

If you have watched any NFL or Major League Baseball game this Fall, it is likely you have seen the cryptic advertisements for Verizon’s new Android phone. The commercial mocks the shortcomings of Apple’s iPhone and then taunts that “Droid Does” whatever the iPhone does not.

The phone comes with Google’s open source Android operating system and is the most serious challenger to the iPhone’s dominance we've seen in months. One of the new features is an upgraded Google Maps that offers turn-by-turn navigation.  The service combines with Google’s local search and integrates Google Street View. 

While navigation on a cell phone is nothing ground breaking, this is the most aggressive push by Google in this market and is further indication that the company is looking to add GPS identification as another criteria to serve advertising.

The company has also doubled down to improve its Google Maps offerings, dumping its old provider with suspected aims of increasing local ad revenue.

See Google's explanation below:

Google local listing ads [link]

Google plans on adding to its AdSense offerings by creating a local listing option for businesses. Local companies can pay a flat monthly rate and receive placement at the top of Web search results or alongside Google Maps search results. The ads automatically detect where the search is being conducted, so businesses only receive highly targeted impressions.

Thanks to Google Voice, Google is able to offer a custom phone number to appear with the listing so businesses can track what phone calls come from Google. The service still lags being companies like Yext that auto transcribe phone calls to identify which calls result in a sale and help mine future leads.

However, Google has been quietly improving its voice transcription abilities for years though its GOOG-411 service, and it is likely only a matter of time before the company matches Yext’s voice transcription ability.

Currently the program is only available in San Francisco and San Diego.

See Google’s introduction video below:

Local Search for Mobile [link]

Further integrating mobile and local, Google has connected Maps on the desktop with Maps on mobile devices. Users can "star" local businesses that appear in search results and have them sent directly to their phones.

For example, if Sam wanted to buy a Halloween costume, he could research on Google Maps all of the local stores that are selling costumes. He could then star the search results and have them sent directly to his phone, so when he is walking around town he can easily find his desired destination.

Imagine this feature with Google’s Navigation and location-targeted advertisements for “Halloween Costumes.”

Checkmate, classifieds section.