Local Search SEO Ranking Factors Surveyed
Portland, Oregon Small Business Web Design Guru David Mihm surveyed 20 local search experts to identify factors that could help or hurt local business search performance. Local Search Ranking Factors offers many interesting insights.
Among the most significant factors:
- Claiming and verifying a local search listing is a critical step.
- Placing a business in the right category is crucial. The wrong category can be the kiss of death.
- Using the product or service keyword or keywords in the listing title can really help.
- Proximity of the business to the centroid of the city may help or hurt position.
Factors that can hurt position include:- Multiple listings with the same address
- Multiple listings with the same phone number
- Multiple listings with the same name
- Negative reviews
West Pasco Chamber Helps Businesses Learn How to Advertise Online
“Online Advertising For Local Businesses: Why It’s Growing and How It Can Help Your Business” is the title of a seminar sponsored by the West Pasco Chamber of Commerce to be held at 6:00pm on July 24, 2008, in the New Port Richey City Council Chambers 5919 Main Street in New Port Richey.
Presenters will include two online advertising experts from LocalDirective.com, a local firm that creates and manages local search marketing programs for companies nationwide. Chief Executive Officer Lisa Maier and Senior Vice President Advertising Solutions Mike Freedman will discuss lessons learned from building and managing marketing online efforts for thousands of American companies.
“It is important to bring Business Development Programs such as this to our members” said Joe Alpine, President West Pasco Chamber of Commerce.
“During challenging economic times, it’s even more important that businesses make the best possible decisions with limited marketing budgets,” said Maier. “We’re helping local business leaders gain valuable information about online marketing tactics that could help them gain more business leads at a lower cost.”
Adds Freedman, “Online advertising is sometimes called ‘the most complex form of advertising’ for a reason. One of our goals with this seminar is to educate local business owners to empower them to make good online advertising decisions.”
There’s significant evidence that local business prospects and customers can be reached online through search engines:
• Almost 10 billion searches were conducted on Google, Yahoo, AOL and Microsoft in February 2008 alone. [Source: ComScore, 2008]
• Over 60 percent of consumers now search for a local business on the internet, and only 33 percent use the yellow pages. [Source TMP Directional, 2007]
• Almost 40% of local shoppers say that a presence on the internet – or lack of presence – will affect their decision about who they do business with. [Source: Web.com, 2007]
To register for the presentation, call 727-842-7651.
For more information about LocalDirective.com, visit http://www.LocalDirective.com or call 1-866-925-9524.
For more information about the West Pasco Chamber of Commerce, visit http://www.WestPasco.com or call (727) 842-7651.
Yahoo Now Including Location in Ads
The BrandVerify blog recently reported that Yahoo Search Marketing has been adding location
in some ads as an additional line, much like Google does.
http://http//blog.brandverity.com/16/yahoo-adds-geography-to-search-ads/
30% of Sampled Cell Phone Users Want to Use Social Networking
Marketing Pilgrim's Michelle Greer reported on a survey conducted by Local Mobile Search, that indicates only 6% of the 1,022 respondents to a survey on the topic have actually used their mobile phones for social networking. However, 30% of respondents said they were interested in using their cell phones for networking and 10% had a “keen interest” in mobile social networking.
http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/2008/05/social-networking-on-your-phone-not-so-much-now-but-soon.html
Labels: mobile social networking
Local Online Ad Spending to Grow 48% This Year
The 2008 Outlook: Local Online Advertising report released by Borrell Associates projects that local online advertising will grow 48% to 12.6 billion this year. "Local search advertising will more than double to $5 billion, while locally produced online video advertising will triple to almost $1.3 billion."
The report also concludes that while yellow page publishers, cable companies, newspapers and broadcasters are "still pinning their hopes on their traditional sales reps being able to sell online ad packages. But there's increasing evidence to support the idea that a greater investment in an independent online sales force will necessary to continue the growth these properties have enjoyed for the past few years." The report also indicates traditional media companies are loosing market share to to "pure-play internet companies."
Free Local 411 Becoming Competitive
Google is the latest entry into what is becoming a crowded field of free local voice offerings that now include:
- Google (800-Goog411)
- Microsoft TellMe 1-800-555-TELL and 1-800-CALL-411
- 1-800-YellowPages
- 1-800-Free411
According to MediaPost, "The Kelsey Group estimated that directory assistance generated 6.3 billion requests last year through land line, wireless, and VoIP communication."
Useful articles on this trend include
Google Voice Local Search Launched by Danny Sullivan in SearchEngineLand.com
Google 411 Takes Aim At Directory Assistance by Gavin O'Malley in MediaPost
ProductivityPortfolio (TimeAtlas.com) also offers detailed review and comparison of the Google, Microsoft and 800-Free411 systems.
Labels: 800-Free411, 800-Goog411, 800-YellowPages, TellMe, voice information
Loki Finds Online Users Via WiFi
Skyhook Wireless, provider of the Wi-Fi Positioning System (WPS), released MyLoki, a location sharing service that feeds your location to personal blogs, social networking sites like Facebook and location directories like Yahoo’s Fire Eagle. Loki is now available for most Wi-Fi enabled mobile devices including laptops and cell phones.
Labels: geolocation, wi-fi geolocation
Acquisitions And Partnerships Driving IYP Growth?
Partnerships are driving growth in local marketing of Internet Yellow Pages sales according to study reported in ComScore: Partnerships in local search spark growth by Ellen Keohane in DM News.
The article cites a handful of major deals made over the last year in the context of company results:
“Within the past year, the Yellowpages.com Network established partnerships with Areaguides.net and 411.com, and saw its IYP search market share grow from 14.7% to 20.2% from Q4 2006 to Q4 of 2007, according to comScore. As a result of this growth, Yellowpages.com is now the market leader — overtaking Superpages.com by a slim margin — in the IYP search space.
In 2007, Superpages.com established a new partnership with Local.com and acquired Infospace FindIt/Switchboard.com, but also discontinued its relationships with 411.com and MSN Yellowpages. According to ComScore, Superpages.com's market share dropped from 20.9% to 20.0% from Q4 2006 to Q4 2007.
Yellow Book and R.H. Donnelley also saw traffic more than double from December of 2006 to December of 2007, according to ComScore. Part of this growth may be attributed to Yellow Book's partnerships with Infospace and Addresses.com and R.H. Donnelly's acquisition of Business.com, ComScore said.”
Labels: internet yellow pages, IYP, partnerships, SuperPages.com, Yellow Book, YellowPages.com
Marchex Free Report: 2008 Perspectives on Local Online Advertising and Content
This week we saw another example of real scholarship and generosity from Marchex. The new report builds on earlier research and adds to the significant information offered through Marchex's blog LocalPoint.com
The report was authored by Marchex leaders Russell C. Horowitz, Matthew Berk, Chad Schott, Bill Day, Matt McGee and Ari Jacoby.
There's much that's intreresting in the 23-page report, including these conclusions:
- "The adoption rate of online advertising services by small- to medium- sized businesses (SMBs) will continue to rise, driven by local sales channels such as Yellow Pages providers.
- National advertisers will expand their focus on local online advertising campaigns and will increasingly utilize local geo- targeting and tactics that encourage and measure offline purchases.
- The demand for call-based advertising services, such as call tracking and pay-per-phone call, will grow.
- For consumers, the local search experience will improve, delivering more accurate and actionable results that more effectively connect consumers with local businesses.
- The local market will be less fragmented due to consolidation, innovation, and partnerships."
Labels: Local Search Marketing, Marchex
LocalDirective.com Now Sending New Customers to Local Businesses
(TAMPA, FL) --- Local businesses that have not focused on search marketing because of its cost and complexity can now gain prospects and customers through campaigns on Google, Yahoo, MSN and Ask.com, starting at just $300 a month.
For decades, local businesses have relied on yellow page ads to attract customers. But there is now growing evidence that local businesses need to consider other alternatives:
• Over 60 percent of consumers search for a local business on the internet, and only 33 percent use the yellow pages. [Source TMP Directional, 2007]
• Almost 40% of local shoppers say that a presence on the internet – or lack of presence – will affect their decision about who they do business with. [Source: Web.com, 2007]
But two problems have kept many local businesses from advertising online:
1. Online Advertising Is Complex: To reach your potential customers on Google or Yahoo, or dozens of other local sites, you have to set up accounts, manage keyword research and selection, set and optimize bids, develop and optimize ads, create a company profile, submit content to key directories and databases…and more.
2. Until Now It Was Too Expensive: Because of the complexity and knowledge required, marketing agencies concentrate on businesses willing to spend thousands, and even tens of thousands of dollars, each month.
“Too often local businesses have suffered from over-priced or ineffective search marketing campaigns,” says LocalDirective founder Lisa Maier, a Wharton MBA with significant experience in search and directional marketing. “Our team offers decades of experience building literally thousands of local advertising campaigns. We understand the local market and are dedicated to providing services aimed at that market.”
LocalDirective offers a complete, low-cost online solution with a variety of search marketing packages, each customized based on business category, geographical location, and business objectives. In addition to search marketing, services include landing page or microsite development, business profile development, and submission to more than 20 important online databases.
Clients also gain advanced campaign management services aimed at generating the greatest number of responses at the lowest cost. This optimization is how LocalDirective maximizes the return on advertising investment.
Clients are provided with reports that show the number and types of responses received. This feedback on prospect quality is used in the LocalDirective process to continually hone advertising programs and tweak the content of ads and landing pages.
For more information, visit www.LocalDirective.com, email morecustomersplease@localdirective.com or call (866) 925-9524.
Labels: Local Search Marketing, localdirective.com
