Small Business Internet Marketing

I recently came across a really great search marketing article with useful information for local search over at Search Engine Land. The data came from comScore studies commissioned by TMP Directional Marketing comparing this year with last.

The important bits for small business owners wondering ‘how will customers find me?’:

• The percentage of people using the print yellow pages as their ‘primary’ source to find location business information has declined roughly 2% in the past year, from 33% to 30%.
• In 2008, search engines surpassed the YP, with 31% of respondents using them as their primary source.
• Including Internet Yellow Pages and local search sites, the Internet was the choice of over 60% of respondents.

But there’s more good news for local search too. A very high percentage of local searchers follow up with some offline activity:

• 34% do an in-store visit following a local search, and 29% do so after visiting the Internet Yellow Pages.
• 38% of local searches are followed by a phone call. And over 50% of Internet Yellow Page searches result in a call.

What Is This Information Telling You?
If you’re a local business looking for local customers, you simply can’t afford to NOT include the Internet as part of your marketing plan. The days of being able to place an ad in the print yellow pages and forget it are over.

Tags: Local search, Marketing, Search engine marketing, Search engine optimization, Website design by Rob Croll
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David Mihm does a typically fantastic job of explaining the importance of local search in his ‘Ranking in the Local Search Algorithms‘ presentation from the SEMpdx Hot Seat on September 9. (Don’t be frightened by that ‘algorightms’ word; the presentation is really accessible and clear, not a bunch of techno-speak.)

Particularly noteworthy right up front is the extrapolation that:

Half a BILLION unique visitors per month search Google with ‘local intent’.

(Still don’t think local search is important, dear reader?) [Read more →]

Tags: Local search, Marketing, Search engine marketing by Rob Croll
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If my recent posts about local search haven’t been enough to convince you of its value, consider this: Local search is increasingly being done not just online via a computer, but also on mobile devices. Getting (and keeping) your local business listings online and up to date can position you to capitalize on this growing trend.

GOOG-411
GOOG-411 is a free directory service that allows phone users to connect directly to local businesses. Having a strong presence in the local search results may get your business top billing when someone uses the service.

For a great, quick demo, check out this video:
[Read more →]

Tags: Local search by Rob Croll
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In the previous post, we discussed why it’s important for local companies doing business with local customers to have a local search profile. In this post, we’ll examine the how of putting together an effective profile.

While the process and the profile itself are fairly straightforward, it’s important to consider a number of underlying factors that can affect your placement within the local search results:
[Read more →]

Tags: Local search, Marketing, Search engine optimization by Rob Croll
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Thanks to the ongoing evolution of search engines like Google and Yahoo, and consumers’ ever-growing reliance on the Internet, there has never been a better time for LOCAL businesses targeting LOCAL customers to implement an effective Internet marketing strategy.

Here’s why: For certain types of searches, the web user clearly is looking for a local business. I’m unlikely, for instance, to want information about a veterinarian in Los Angeles if I live in Orlando. As a result, I’ve learned (as have many consumers) to specify an area when doing a search if I’m interested in seeing only nearby businesses. [Read more →]

Tags: Local search, Search engine marketing by Rob Croll
1 Comment »