New Tools

Topix.com is "Calling All Editors".

About editing on Topix

Topix Editors are an elite group of users that post interesting and relevant articles to share with their communities. Editors receive special tools enabling them to find and promote stories on pages that are read by millions of users. Editors can even post their own original articles and photos.
Anyone with a passionate interest for news in their community is encouraged to submit an application.

As location editor you (along with roboblogger) are a gatekeeper for articles and help keep spam out of user forums. Being an editor could act as a great tool for real estate agents who need to keep the pulse of particular locations or markets.


YellowBot (beta) is a new Internet Yellow Pages play with a friendly and inviting interface. You can submit a business which is great. One negative is the GenX phrasiology used throughout the site like "off the heezy" for business ratings or "got peeps" indicating spots on a map. Their demo's must indicate like minded hip urban twenty-somethings or perhaps they really believe such slang is mainstream.
I don't know or care what "heezy" means so I won't use their ratings system. I will suggest clients submit their business but most are there already because Localeze is the bus. info provider.

Finally Microsoft Office Live offers a free website and supporting tools. Christine Churchill has a great review on Search Engine Land.

Blogger Adds Video And News Modules

Score one for Google Blogger! Blogger now allows Blogger bloggers to add a "videobar" or "newsreel" to the sidebar or footer of a Blogger blog.
Users of Blogger (new) simply click "Add A Page Element" under "Customize", and the new options will be obvious. You can name your search bar or video strip and instruct Google which news or video keywords to display results for.

Big Blog Directory caught it too and posts this graphic;

Yahoo! Simple Website Solutions

Yahoo! Small Business hits a clean triple through the gap with the introduction of a simple and inexpensive webhosting and site building feature.
It's a definite improvement on the free website offering that is nothing more than an information page.

This product plays into the hands of smaller businesses unwilling or unable to employ full service website design firms. Over a decade into the world of website building it is still a minefield for small businesses looking for an trustworthy site designer that does not charge an arm and a leg. I have heard enough horror stories lately to represent that overpriced designers are still laying in wait for the uninitiated.

I intend to introduce this solution to my clients looking for easy and inexpensive website options. SuperPages has a similar offering with monthly charges in the $15.00 range. I have not studied the program but the templates look clean and the price is right.

I also noticed this interesting item on the new Yahoo! site building page, a submission option to Yahoo! and Google. Yahoo! has no direct submission option. Their site submission is normally $299.00 and that does not guarantee inclusion.

Google + Box For Business And Stocks

Small business will be happy to know if your address is correct and listed on Google you may soon see a "Plus Box" asociated with your listing.

Google Blog explains;

"Whenever you see the plus box icon - - click on it to see the additional rich data expand below the original search result. With Plus Box, you'll get a visual snapshot of related information, so it is faster and easier to find exactly what you're looking for.

"You won't see this feature yet for all businesses, but we're working hard to increase its availability. If you're a business owner and would like to see something like this associated with your website, here's how to get your information to us."

Google points to this page and how the plus box looks attached to a restaurant listing.

Are you listed on Google Maps, their local search engine?

Spam Gets A Pass, Honest Postings Get Limbo!

I noticed the mention of Boorah by Greg Sterling today on Search Engine Land and sort of congratulated myself for being a few days out front on Boorah with a passing mention the other day. I like to keep up on news and plug myself and my clients into every possible opportunity early. You never know which new business model will become a hit and gain link favor on Google.

I decided to take a look at "Boorah" related blog posts and could not find my page anywhere. That's OK since this blog is not intended for popular consumption but I am a bit irritated that this SPLOG piece of garbage is near the top for the keyword.

I really don't mind that 3/4 of the posts here go straight to supplemental on G, the blog is indexed well enough on Yahoo!, enough that it satiates what vanity or ego I have attached to this page. What is amazing is honest efforts put forward get passed over in favor of splogs.

Oh and Google, please remove the word verification, this IS NOT a splog and whatever I post here ends up benefiting you. I am about attaching clients to you!
End rant!

Clickfraud Killer, Pay-Per-Action From Google

Google introduces a Pay-Per-Action program in beta. I'm anxious!

Here are the highlights;

1. First, create an ad and define the action that you want a user to perform when they visit your site.
2. Then set the amount that you're willing to pay when this action is completed.
3. Finally, install conversion tracking code on your website so that we (Google) can verify when an action has been completed.

Beta sign-up page.

Physician Report Cards On Local.com

It looks like Local.com teamed up with Healthgrades.com, a physician profile website. Healthgrades looks like it has a very comprehensive database. On a search for "dr" "95123" (San Jose), the search returned results for over 15,900 doctors. Physicians should be doing some searching on the site to see what is being said about them and then tasking their office staff to fill out a profile page.

The Power Of Digg

Loren Baker digs Digg. His Search Engine Journal article about Gmail storage made the front page of Digg.com. The front page ranking attracted more than 24,000 unique visits and over two dozen comments on SEJ.
Digg is fickle, you never know what will catch or what Diggers like. Digg's front page or "most popular" stuff is generally from pop culture, bizarre news or interesting images. Loren enjoyed the benefits of an article that was really "dug".

Disney Using ASK As Part Of Web Revamp

Disney's new interactive vertical Family.com is part of the entertainment giant's online makeover. The web search is powered by ASK while the 1,000 links to Disney-recommended community sites is put together through a Eurekster Swicki.

ASK/IAC also got the local search contract as Citysearch returns local search queries.

Yahoo! still delivers search results for home base Go.com but you have to wonder if ASK will take over all search duty for Disney as the interactive roll outs continue.

It might be time to take a more serious look at ASK Sponsored Listings. If they continue to gain big wins it will pay to be in their system.

Fantastic List On "Link Attracting"

CornwallSEO produced a comprehensive list for those looking for info on "linkbaiting" or "link baiting".

I prefer to call it Link Attracting. Simply, it's having your site linked on or embedded on another site. Within the links on the list above are many hints and clues about how to attract or invite more links to your site.
In the area of local search there are more sites accepting links than ever before. There seems to be a hunger for business links by some of the hyper-local/city/community oriented websites.

Sizing Up Hyper-Local CitySquares

CitySquares joins the growing list of hyper-local focused websites. The site focuses on Boston neighborhoods for now. CitySquares is cut from the same mold as "super-local" or hyper-local Outside.in and Backfence.
I spent some time on the three sites and compared their differences. I chose neighborhoods in cities where I have lived in or near for my "test drive".

The Outside.in neighborhood I looked at was South 6th, a South Tucson neighborhood known widely for authentic Mexican food restaurants. Chosing "restaurants" from the drop down menu brought no restaurants from the South 6th neighborhood or even that section of town. What a disappointment. Their salespeople could not sell a Mexican restaurant spot in a neighborhood only know for Mexican food? For my purposes the Outside.in "South 6th" site is somewhat useless.

Backfence.com is less neighborhood centric and more small city oriented for now so I chose their Palo Alto site. The front page has a search box nicely placed with relevant classified ads for houses for rent. "Top-Business" links are below the fold in favor of a "special sections" offerings above. I think this is should be reversed. If I live in Palo Alto or plan to visit the town I want to see restaurants, read reviews and news on points of interest, not articles about how to chose granite for my kitchen.

The CitySquares neighborhood I looked at is Brookline Village. I've never been there and know nothing about the neighborhood. The site is clean with inviting colors but the main column content is spaced too far apart. There are only 16 restaurants listed for the Brookline Village neighborhood. I'm not familiar enough to know if that represents all the restaurants in Brookline. It would have been nice to read a synopsis of the neighborhood on the front page. I should not have to visit Wikipedia to get basic neighborhood or city info.
Here is a partial list of Brookline Village restaurants from Google Maps and the same search on Local.com. Understanding these ultra local sites are not local search engines as such but there should at least be ready links to outside local search sites.

For my tastes I like the true neighborhood approach adopted by CitySquares. The choices for neighborhoods stares right at you as you enter the main site. I like it. As they grow and expand I hope they don't lose that feel.

I am excited about the potential for super, ultra or hyper-local platforms. Both CitySquares and Outside.in offer inexpensive opportunities for local businesses. Local business should pay to get in early and encourage reviews and establish a site presence before category competition wakes up and starts rushing the doors. This space will grow.

Google's Schmidt On Targeted Advertising

Google CEO Eric Schmidt speaking to investors in San Diego said "We are just at the beginning of targeted advertising".

" Schmidt said about 90 to 95 percent of TV viewers are exposed to random ads. "It's a constant barrage of ads that aren't relevant; pet food for people without pets, baby products for families with out kids. Even a small improvement [in relevancy] would have a very large impact."
He said Google is exploring ways to better target TV advertising and leverage the fact that an increasing number of consumers have IP addressable set top boxes."

I've felt for awhile the (not too distant) future of TV advertising includes personalized super-local "AdSense" type spots delivered to my demographic for my personal tastes and needs. They will know from my search and spending habits I haven't been to Costco for awhile and maybe Sam's Club will bid to hit me up with an enticing offer to pull me from Costco. Abertsons grocery figures I feed a large family and that like most in my neighborhood I shop at SaveMart. Albertsons might bid up big to get onto my TV screen. If ads are local and relevant to me I might not Tivo through ads like I do now.

Think of the possibilities for local merchants.

Schmidt is telling us where they are going, I'm listening.

Update:Danny Sullivan reports Google is delivering ads to Concord California cable subscribers! That was fast Eric.

Kelsey Group's Five Year Forecast

"Forecast Calls for Flat Print Growth"

The Kelsey Group's Global Print Yellow Pages, Internet Yellow Pages and Local Search Forecast was made public today.

Some bullet points;

• "Global print revenues will be relatively flat for the period (CAGR 0.9 percent) — US$26.5 billion in 2006 compared with US$27.8 billion in 2011."
• "Online revenues, by contrast, will grow a brisk 22.3 percent (CAGR) to US$11.1 billion in 2011. "

My read;

1. Print Yellow Pages will milk the categories they can while readership stalls.
2. As current Y.P. customers become aware of online options they will be flocking to Internet.

Natpal, "Serving Local Merchants"

Greg Sterling wrote about Natpal recently. I took a look and found some positives and negatives.

From Natpal;

"Natpal.com was originally incubated at the Wharton School in Philadelphia, and is now headquartered in New York City. Natpal.com has developed an integrated approach to signing up and serving local merchants who are transitioning their marketing budgets online...."
"...Natpal, by 2009, will have a diversified product enabling businesses to effectively interact with customers via the web. Natpal's flagship product, adStation, will be offered globally as a web-based application, allowing businesses to automate and enhance their pay for performance advertising."

I like their before and afters customer website profiles. They do pretty decent makeovers. I followed some of their client testimonials and can't really see anything special local placement service provided. One client, Philadelphia restaurant is not optimized well for local at all. It's not profiled on any of the local search sites, local directories or IYP's.

Another profiled client, a small charter fishing company is not found on any variation of a Google Maps search. You really can't say you serve local business unless you cover the basics like Google Maps/Local.

I get the impression they are really gunning for the introduction of their "adStation" application. Maybe this product will distinguish them.

Local search marketing is a distinct specialty. Properly done it requires hands-on personal representation. The local landscape is too fragmented, too detailed with too many options for an automated service to cover.
Natpal will need a crew of trained search specialists to do the necessary work of customer relations and data input to become serious local search marketing providers. A look at their careers page shows they know this. Within one of the job descriptions we see some insight to their thinking.

"Industry Description:

Local Search is considered the new frontier in paid search marketing, the fastest growing area of both technology and advertising and the key driver of Google, Yahoo, and MSN. Over $100 billion is spent on local advertising in the U.S alone; to date, very little has transitioned online. A significant opening exists to devise, build, and monetize this opportunity within the next 2-4 years.

I agree the next 2 to 4 years is the time to build a local search platform. Once the herd starts moving it will turn to a stampede. Natpal should be ready!

Embarq Pushing BestRedYP.com

Who is Embarq?

"Corporate Profile; Embarq Corporation (NYSE: EQ) provides a suite of communications services to customers in its serving areas. Embarq, which is expected to rank among the Fortune 500, brings common-sense ideas, reliable service and a renewed commitment to the communities it serves. Embarq focuses on offering its customers practical, innovative products and competitive pricing. The company has 20,000 employees and operates in 18 states offering local and long distance voice, data, high speed internet, wireless, and entertainment services."

UMmmm, I don't understand. Corporate speak is not my specialty so I went to the common man's place to find all answers under the sun Wikipedia!

"Embarq Corporation, or EMBARQ, was formerly the local telephone division (LTD) of Sprint Nextel. It is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol EQ.
The company is the fourth largest local exchange carrier in the United States (below the Baby Bells) and the largest independent local provider, serving customers in 18 states and providing local, long distance and high-speed data services to residential and business customers. The Las Vegas, Nevada metropolitan area is its largest market. [1] The company consists of approximately 20,000 employees.
Telephone directories for EMBARQ customers are published by R.H. Donnelley.
Approximately $3 billion in debt incurred from the Sprint Nextel merger was transferred to the new company. The company is estimated to have approximately $6 billion in revenues.
EMBARQ trademarks are the property of a subsidiary named Embarq Holdings Company LLC, commonly mistaken as the actual name of the publicly traded holding company, Embarq Corporation. It began trading on the NYSE on May 18, 2006."

Ahhhh that's better and now I understand the connection to R.H. Donnelley. Embarq owns BestRedYP.com and the online Yellow Pages site is published by R.H. Donnelley who last year bought LocalLaunch and are clearly moving into local search in earnest.

Why this ridiculous lead up? Well today I saw a Google AdSense ad on another blog advertising Embarq's BestRedYP.com. It seems odd Embarq is pushing their directory this way. Maybe they are taking the tact Local.com took when they jump started their local search engine in 2005. The company spent a ton buying traffic via AdWords and according to the company the marketing plan was successful. I can't imagine BestRedYP can catch the same wind as Local.com. The name is not catchy and the interface is old school, not intuitive and a bit clunky. I'm not saying it's not a good directory but I am suggesting it's not going to get bookmarked by too many.
Embarq is well capitalized so they can afford to test away. I can't see any benefit in placing clients there yet but I will keep an eye on the site and how it is being marketed.

"Juiced" About Joost

Today Joost opened to beta testers. I signed up awhile back and now I'm glad I did. After downloading and installing the program I was treated to a view into the future of TV. I did not see any real bugs. Site navigation is well designed and the full screen option I tried offered acceptable resolution . I viewed an older National Geographic show and experienced a little lag but not much and I blame that on my computer not the Joost servers.

I have no idea what opportunities will open up for local or small business marketing but I have to believe there will be ways to get a local message in somewhere, maybe in sponsorship form or short (video) introductions?

From Joost to the beta testers;

"We need you to help us make Joost™ great. As a beta tester, you already know about our mission to build a television platform combining the best of the net and the best of conventional TV - and we need your help to get there. Get involved with Joost™ and help create the future of TV!"

If you can't sign up for the beta directly from the site I can send invitations.
Just hit me up with an email (mikemora at gmail).

Wikia.com

Wikia, the profit oriented project of Wikipedia founder Jim Wales is one to watch. Alexa rankings for the last six months show a move from below 6,000 to around 1,500 world rank today. In the U.S. it is close to breaking into the top 1,000. CNN profiled Wales' Wikia project and the money funding it. The article points out;

" More than 30,000 people have created nearly 500,000 Wikia articles in 45 languages. Collectively, the sites are attracting about 2.5 million pageviews a day, slightly more traffic than the website of the Los Angeles Times. Wikia's growth in pageviews, in fact, is a bit better than Wikipedia's was at the same stage of its development.

"So far, the traction looks great," Levine says. "Wikia can be three to five times bigger at the end of the year and then do it again. When you do that over a few years, you get to be pretty big."

So what will this new search engine offer marketers, specifically small business marketers? Wikia.com is in wiki form and therefore is made up of information provided by users. This allows small businesses to list their own business where they can enjoy reviews as well as being part of their local Wikia community. I searched for my area and found no listings of any businesses or links of any kind. Here is the page for my zip code. Since Wikia is so new it's likely most zip codes or neighborhoods are blank. Being first in may be an advantage if wikia lives up to its potential.
Take a look at the difference between Wikia's Tokyo page and Wikipedia's Tokyo page. Wikipedia's pages look stark compared to Wikia and you see ads attached to the Wikia pages, something I see as opportunity as time goes on.
Google loves Wikipedia and is showing some big time love to Wikia already.

I'll add that my kids use Wikipedia and their friends do as well. Most of the kids (teens) in their group prefer Wikipedia to Google or Answers.com. Google is too much and not enough and Answers is too polished, go figure!

Google Code - Updates: The Value of Google Gadgets

Google Code - Updates: The Value of Google Gadgets

Bambi Interviews Greg Sterling

Bambi Francisco of MarketWatch interviews local search expert Greg Sterling. Greg is the author of Screenwerk, a blog I consult daily.
Bambi asks some very good questions and Greg's responses are spot on as you would expect. I could tell he gave Bambi fairly basic answers understanding her audience is the investor set.

Greg offers how slow the merchant is to come to local search marketing, that Google's self-serve options are not grabbing their attention. When asked if local merchants will come to favor local video in 2007 Greg offers "maybe not this year".
For some reason the embed from Brightcove won't take, but here
is the link to the interview.

Google Video Ad Viewed In The Wild

I've read about them, never seen one in action but today I viewed one and it's pretty slick. The ad can be seen on this Digital50.com page. The Google video ad is for Proximitymedia.com.

AdWords Click-to-Play about page.

Update; Barry Schwartz of Search Engine Roundtable and contributor to Danny Sullivan's Search Engine Land was kind enough to inform me the ads have been around for awhile now. As much time as I spend online I am surprised I've never seen one before today. Barry provided me a
comprehensive list of articles from his archive on the subject of Google Video Ads.

Administrative Post

I have neglected Technorati. I have been using Google Blog Search in favor of Technorati for awhile but neglecting Technorati is a mistake. Technorati offers three ways to activate a claimed blog. You can chose a quick claim, post claim or embedded claim (for advanced users). I chose the post claim option.
Technorati Profile

Communitainment

The marraige of communication, community and entertainment says Safa Rashtchy of Piper Jaffray in his must read investment research report The User Revolution.

Small Is The Now; Small Is The Future

According to Matt McGee posting on Search Engine Land;

"Small is the Now: Based on its most recent figures (2005), the U.S. Small Business Administration estimates that 99.9% of the country's businesses are small businesses. The U.S. Census Bureau says small businesses employ slightly more than 50% of the workforce.

Small is the Future: The recent Intuit Future of Small Business Report cites a 2005 Gallup/CNN/USA Today survey, in which nearly 80% of 18-29 year-olds questioned said they'd rather start their own business than work for a big company. The report specifically mentions technology as a driving force behind the growth of small business among young adults:..."

Matt reveals Search Engine Land will be starting a new column dedicated to small business search marketing, great!

Local Video Advertising Set To Grow

I have some interesting strategies in development that will help my clients capitalize on this emerging trend. Borrell Associates released market projections,reported here via Yahoo! Finance.

"But as the popularity of online video grows, so will the applications, the "avails" and the money. In five years, local online video advertising will surpass $5 billion, representing more than one-third of all local online advertising.

Where will most of that money go? Not to the purveyors of traditional "word from our sponsor" commercials, but to those who can offer long-form video information that their Web site visitors actually choose to see."

Or short-form video on the landing pages from a PPC or banner ad!

Full report available.

Google 101, A Pioneering Idea

Google employee Chistophe Bisciglia is using his alloted free work time to teach a college class on Google!

"It's not about our competitors," Google program manager Chris DiBona said. Companies have to think about pushing technology forward, he said. Over the years, Lazowska said, he has seen hundreds of his engineering students snag jobs at Google's offices in Santa Monica and Mountain View, Calif.; Kirkland; New York; and Zurich. About half are undergraduates. One undergraduate in the course is fourth-year student Sierra Michels-Slettvet. "I'm so pumped," she said. "This is a different way to solve problems, a different way to think about the world." If students like Michels-Slettvet grasp the new techniques, Google will offer the course at other top schools, including the University of California-Berkeley and Stanford University.

"The plan," DiBona said, "is that we try it with one, then three or four, and then hundreds of schools."

Fantastic idea Christophe!

Online Ratings,Reviews And Reputation

Greg Sterling blogs reputation monitoring as it applies to online reviews and ratings. Online ratings will play a huge part in determining how a business is valued by consumers and local search engines in the future. I would like to see an online ratings algorithm that measures positive, negative or neutral reviews strictly.
On my Marketing For Restaurants blog I have a list of review sites linked on the sidebar.

Dex Print Y.P. Reps Hit Colorado Springs Hard

Michael Taylor's informative post on the Kelsey Group Blog points to a Dex report on increased page sells in their Colorado Springs print directory;

"Dex Media announced a rather significant page-count growth in its Colorado Springs directory. While many question the viability of print Yellow Pages, particularly in a tech-savvy market like Colorado Springs, achieving page-count growth is something to take note of. According to the article, “Dex Media Inc. sold a record 1,365 pages of advertising in its 2007 directory, up 14.3 percent from last year"

It's a myth that merchants are flocking back to print. This surge in sales is targeted at one or two consumer sectors and they are hitting the restaurants especially hard.
Until there are enough local search marketing people bringing online options to these businesses the print guys will keep dangling the noose in front of them.

Google Maps Synopsis

Small Business SEM tells the Google Maps/Local story better than any I've read before. I blogged on it the other day but Matt McGee really nails it. Great read.

Another "Best Of" Search Marketing Blogs List

Todd And's The Power 150 Top Marketing Blogs.
AdRants their #1 choice is one I happened upon only today as I was looking for information on Omnicom's pick-n-click product. Zimmerman, an Omnicom company has brought this innovative self serve ad product to their clients but there is no information on the giant Omnicom's site or Zimmerman's site. I found AdRant on a Google search for "pick-n-click".
Pick-n-click looks to be a prototype of the local video ad wave coming soon to the local space according to an article I read on the Kelsey Group blog.

Google Local PPC Not Being Used By Local Business

I was searching Google Local (I'm not calling it "Maps" today) for eateries in Fresno California
and found these review oriented sites advertising via AdWords for eyes on the Google Local results pages for Restaurants, Fresno CA

Check out these sponsored ads;

Restaurants

Locate a Restaurant in Your Area

Search Locally with SuperPages.

www.Superpages.com

Restaurant guide

Find restaurant guide here.

We offer local search in your area.

california.local.com

California

Sponsored Links

Restaurants La

Search for top rated restaurants!

Get reviews, ratings, tips & more.

losangeles.citysearch.com

Sponsored Links

Introducing The Dish

Offers & Restaurant Picks from Food

Experts in NYC, San Fran & Boston

mylifemycard.com/thedishprograms

Videos of Top Restaurants

Featuring Bay Area Chefs, Food,

Wine & Entertainment!

www.restaurantslive.com

How long will it be before local restaurants begin bidding these spots up? I have chronicalled how difficult it is to sell restraurants and other local business into these spots. I wonder if Google really cares if mom and pop find their way into view here? I'm not sure, as long as the spots are filled by someone and apparently review sites and some national chains do then they have no worries.
I'll say it until I have no more voice, this online real estate should be snapped up by local merchants and there should be heavy bidding for the spots.

*There was also an ad for MeasuredUp, a rate and review site that launched in December 2006. I wish the folks running MeasuredUp the best of luck but they are burning their angel and venture funds against some very stiff competition. For what it's worth there is not one Fresno eatery (or any Fresno business) listed in their directory.

Penalized By Google? Joe Whyte Offers Solutions

My concentration is not SEO, we can place your local business where it needs to be and do it better than almost anyone in the business using our own techniques that guarantee local visibility. Our clients can testify we crush their competition and promote their business ethically and inexpensively. I do follow SEO news to the extent that I read popular blogs and forums.
Joe Whyte of Joe-Whyte.com posts a great piece on Google filters and solutions to resolve the penalties Google imposes for site optimization violations.

Local Search Tips And Secrets; Interviews

This week we will be treated to an interesting series of interviews of popular SEO and local search personalities on Graywolf's SEO Blog.

In his interview Matt McGee pointed to an article from his blog titled 8 Simple Steps To Make a Page More Local. Pure gold.
Surely the interview series will point to more plums like that.

Official Google Blog: Find and compare local businesses

Here is a link to the Official Google Blog for local.

Google Makes A Local Move Down Under

Soon after I finished my earlier post on Google Maps I noticed the news Google has partnered with Rupert Murdoch's News Ltd's Truelocal.com.au to beef up the local offering on Maps.Google.com.au (live since Jan.20).
The Sydney Morning Herald has early details of the deal between Murdoch's property and Google.

Some have speculated that Murdoch would scoop up Local.com for the local search needs of his U.S and U.K properties. I've wondered why they have not scooped up TrueLocal.com. Maybe it will be Google to make a move on one of those relevant local search sites.

(LOCM parent of Local.com was up 4.5% today on above average volume ;-) )

Google Could Dominate Local, Why Don't They?

Google is in a perfect position to put a grip lock on local search. Greg Sterling's thought provoking post offers in part;

"Google is really in the driver’s seat on many fronts right now. Turning to local, the company recently enhanced it's local one box presentation of results.

Google is not the best local application online by any means. (Yahoo! Local, Ask and Yelp, for example, are better.) It has taken some steps to improve the user experience but it could certainly do a great deal more (e.g., “sort by rating,” “click to compare businesses,” etc.). One wonders why not? Maybe Google is distracted by all the initiatives going on there, doesn't feel it needs to upgrade the application and/or doesn't want to threaten its partners too much.

Whatever the reason, the company is not doing all it could in local. But Google is probably now at the peak of its market dominance (I could be wrong of course). And with a few simple tweaks it could literally dominate local — verticals are different — because of its general search volumes.

There are also a range of things that Google could also do on the revenue side that it isn’t doing to attract more SMB advertisers. (Clearly a $3+ billion dollar quarter suggests there’s no urgency there.) Curiously it hasn’t (yet) done them either..."

I'm with Greg, it's curious why there is not more innovation, more urgency. Big "G" is the aircraft carrier in the sea of search so they don't turn quickly but their labs turn out products like Code Search and other useful (and less useful) tools continuously. Why has local lagged? Why do I have a better local search experience on Local.com with all the goofy ad noise than I do with Google Maps?

SuperPages.com Takes a Page From Yelp

Sort of anyway. Yelp's front page features selected reviewers.

From SuperPages.com;

"Consumers in the same city can now compete against each other to be featured as the Reviewer of the Week, which is located on the SuperPages.com homepage." press release

How hot are local business reviews now? I have to get a post together lining out the numerous sites offering reviews.

Lite Brite Mooninite Marketing Miscreants

Guerrilla marketing practitioner Peter Berdovsky aka Zebbler and a sidekick held a news conference today after their arraignment in Boston. The two made cracks about their hair offering nothing about the criminal charges facing them as instructed by their attorney standing by their side. I've actually never felt sorry for an attorney before today.

What Berdovsky aka Zebbler failed to do is apologize for the trouble their electric mooninite creations caused Boston police and fire personnel. The bomb squad correctly treated the items as suspicious. These guys put there life on the line every day and it's a shame Berdovsky and his partner didn't take a moment to recognize this.

In fairness to Turner Broadcasting the two seem to be third party actors but Turner must share the blame. I suspect someone in the Turner marketing dept. will get fired. Look for Turner Broadcasting Systems Inc. to offer full restitution to the City of Boston, this is a pr nightmare they have to put to bed and soon.
The two characters will probably get probation, they are stupid but not criminals.

A Marketing Plan I Can Get Behind

....and one I cannot
Turner's marketing prank

Google Maps (Local) Adding Reviews

Google is including reviews within their local listings. This was expected and something every small business should understand and embrace.

Barry Schwartz posts the news on Search Engine Land .

On a search for pizza near my location I found one restaurant with six reviews attached including three from Chefmoz, two from Citysearch and one from Dine.com.

Google has included reviews from Chowhound, InsiderPages and Yelp within organic results for some time now.

G.E.s Journalistic Integrity On The Line?

A public relations nightmare scenario is taking form for General Electric's financial news division. What do you do if one of your star personalities crosses a journalistic line? Bloomberg reports on popular C.N.B.C financial news anchor Maria Bartiromo and her cozy relationship with a CitiGroup executive. How will the G.E. public relations and marketing people handle this? Citigroup already axed the executive for his part.
I have thoughts on how I would advise, I'm anxious to see how the heavyweights handle it.

The Model Local Search Marketing Firm?

Paul Jahn's LocalMN Interactive Marketing could act as the model for local search marketing firms. Unlike ReachLocal and other "local" search marketing firms LocalMN.com is really local. Online marketing options for local business are numerous and confusing, the personal attention a local marketer can offer should ultimately trump the offerings of "outside" local search marketers.

YouTube And SEO/SEM Marketing

I am surprised video is not more widely used to market the marketers. Here are some examples of current efforts ranging in quality.

Simple



Advanced



Refined

Confusing, Costly Choices Ahead For Local Business

While reading Krasilovsky's piece on The Kelsey Group Blog today about Gannet's new search marketing initiative I imagined being in the place of the local merchant. The typical local business by my definition is a landscaper or a restaurateur serving a city the size of Tucson Arizona.

The merchant already has a presence in the print Yellow Pages, maybe more than one, and likely has sunk one to four thousand dollars in each. He or she also maintains an ad in the local newspaper, runs coupons in ValuePack and maybe has some direct mail deals going. Local merchant is doing all he can offline and is paying a pretty price.

Now comes the Internet marketing peddlers.

Our representative local merchant likely has a website and assumes he's already "on" Google and Yahoo! but really doesn't know. The guy who set up the website told him he'd be in Google and he thinks he is. The website is live and it looks slick.

The Yellow Pages rep hits up our local merchant with a flashy proposal full of cool stats and promises of traffic. There is a sense of trust with the YP rep because an ad does exist in the book, that trust earns the rep a pitch.
The cost for representative keyword searches in Tucson may run $400.00 per month for a featured spot. That's a lot but the rep shows how the competition is already there or better yet points out the competition is NOT there yet. You have to be there in any case right?

Next is a call from Gannet's people from Planet Discover and their package is pretty slick too. The salesperson does his/her best to convince our merchant friend listing on Tucson.com
is vital. Soon after he gets a call from the CitySearch sales force.

After the big sell by these local directory people one might assume all the bases are covered but not one of them told our merchant he won't be seen within Google or Yahoo! local listings (to any meaningful extent).

Google, Yahoo, Local.com, MSN's local.live and SuperPages.com, local search most powerful directories still await. The ancillary or supporting sites like InsiderPages, Yelp, Judy's Book, Angie's List, Chowhound and the rest still wait as well.

So what is local business to do? Currently there are few search marketing agencies that specialize exclusively in local search marketing.
Take a look at the these results for local search marketing. It's populated with articles about local search but the merchant will have to dig deeper to find someone to help him sort out available online marketing options.
At the present time most local search marketing specialists use a cookie cutter approach to serving clients. Local search marketing performed correctly requires development of a personal relationship with the client's particular needs. There is little cookie cutter about it.

My advice to local businesses when approached by various directory sales folks is to put them off and list in their directories for free. See where you end up on their results pages. If you wantb an enhanced position take a trial run for a month or two.

Most importantly research Yahoo! Local and dig into Google Maps (local). Acquaint yourself with Google AdWords (PPC). Their local targeted AdWords product is the single most effective marketing tool bar none for a quick start local marketing campaign.

Feel free to call me for a free consultation. My number is on the front page of my home site.

Practical Advice; SEO vs Web Design

Lee Odden blogs on this highly relevant but rarely discussed topic.

"Today’s SEO is not just about the technical side or about “textbook” SEO. As an example, most web developers and/or designers are not often trained, tasked or interested in doing the kind of competitive marketplace,.........

........A specialist in search engine optimization is going to have tools for analyzing a keyword marketplace, competitor web sites as well as content recommendations. Keywords are mined from the current client site, competitor sites, mining data from web analytics and the on-site search engine, tools like Keyword Discovery and WordTracker, Google trends and possibly interviews with client front line staff that interact with the target market such as sales people and customer support teams."

How Is MyBlogLog Indexing?

I was curious if MyBlogLog profiles and other member information was being indexed by Yahoo!, Google, MSN and ASK. There is no science connected with this search but I thought the results were interesting.
I used the query www.mybloglog/buzz/members


Google Results 1 - 10 of about 729,000 for www.mybloglog.com/buzz/members.
(6,530,000 for the query Mybloglog)

Yahoo 1 - 10 of about 491 for www.mybloglog.com/buzz/members
(2,180,000 for the query Mybloglog)

Ask www.mybloglog.com/buzz/members Showing results 11-20 of 2,240
(165,000 for the query Mybloglog)

MSN www.mybloglog.com/buzz/members Page 1 of 8 results
(195,707 for the query Mybloglog)

Local Search Marketing For Local Business

Darell Zahorsky, the small business information guide for About.com posts a nice primer on local search marketing;

"Just how many consumers search locally? A recent comScore Networks study found over 849 million searches were performed in the U.S. during one month in the summer. The Kelsey Group estimates over 30 billion local searches annually will be conducted by 2009. Even more significant is almost 50% of local searchers visited a local business as a result of a search....

How much can a local search be worth? In Dallas, local search in one month revealed by Overture resulted in 1250 local searches for the keyword Dallas flowers. With over half of local searchers visiting stores, the Dallas market for flowers (at an average sale of $50) would be worth over $30,000 per month in business....."

Nice read.

"Panlocal" "Hyperlocal" Pegasus Defines It for Us

Greg Sterling's Screenwerks pointed me to Pegasus News Mike Orren's piece on Online Journalism Review. Mike hits it on the head here:

"Local retailers, many of whom may not even have websites, are a huge class of business that is not flocking to pay-per-click ad services. And while that presents a huge opportunity, it means the hard work of picking up phones, knocking on doors and feet on the street – just like with traditional local media. However, once you get them on board, local advertisers are amazed at the precision, flexibility and business intelligence provided by online advertising. Restaurants used to paying a flat fee for ad space in a weekly are shocked that their bill is lower if you deliver fewer pageviews. Stores are aghast that you can change their sale ads every day..."

Pegasus News

My Blog Log

Earlier this month Yahoo! confirmed they had purchased My Blog Log. This may be the best acquisition (next to Flickr) Yahoo! has made in the social web space. It's very addictive, super viral and highly useful for networking and information gathering. Right now it seems populated by early adopters but once it gets beyond the E.A. phase and Yahoo! begins to push it I see it exploding.

Update; As I spend more time on it the potential seems even more clear. It reminds me of Myspace, a MySpace for grown up bloggers really the first generation social media platform for bloggers.

Is there an acronym for this yet?

Social Blogging Media, S.B.M.
Blog Networking Media, B.N.M

CitySearch Adds Sales Call Center

They are calling it "consultative sales" but it is a call center and good on them. Peter Krasilovsky posting on Kelsey Group's Local Media Blog has more.

This is in line with my prediction that 2007 is the year I.Y.P sales forces begin building steam. They will find success. Mom and pop business will believe the Yellow Pages people. They are skeptical about the web but understand they need to be online whether they want to or not. My expectation is there will be a sticker shock associated with what the various call center "consultants" are selling. Some will sign on straight out and others will shop around for better deals. This is where the independent local search marketers :-) will find new appreciation.

Top Rank Blog Ranks Top Blogs

Lee Odden has compiled a master list of the most pertinent search related blogs. He is up to 300 blogs now. It's a great list and a treasure trove for research.
(I'm hoping I make it somewhere in the top 2,000?)

Local Search Talk, I Love It

Some interesting facts about local search from Mike Stewert of Dallas Blog.

".....In 2006, 77% of those who used an Internet Yellow Pages for at least one product/service category also used a print Yellow Pages for at least one product/service category. The point is: To reach ready to purchase consumers a business owner, as they say, does not need to put all thier eggs in one basket. Some people use print, some people use online local search (Google, Yahoo, Superpages.com, YellowPages.com, MSN, etc etc.), but most use both.

Local online marketing firm conducted an online survey this past August regarding Internet usage to find a local service business. The survey used Nielsen//NetRatings’ online panel and asked about behavior within the past 90 days. Among more than 2,800 consumer responses:

• 70% had used the Internet to search for a local service business at any point, and 46% had used the Internet to search one or more times for a local service in the last 90 days
  
• 89% found search to be “somewhat effective” or “very effective” in finding local services in their area.
• 68% said they would most likely use the phone number on the website to contact a vendor..."

He goes on to say;

"If you want your business to be found by ready to buy consumers, you need advise from someone that understands the in's and out's of LOCAL SEARCH. This includes organic search, SEM, link popularity, online directory advertising, and print advertising designs and concepts."

My thoughts on those points;

• Organic search; Important but shop carefully for SEO help, vultures lurk.
  
• Link popularity; Not so important for local as for businesses with a national intent.
• SEM; All important, trumps all other means of advertising for a local business.
• Online directory advertising; Imperative
• Print advertising designs; Still important but don't waste more than 20% of your budget on it.

Eater.com Gobbling Territory

Yahoo! News pointed me to Eater.com a brilliant blogging idea that is poised to grow according to the AP via Yahoo! release.

"..Thanks to an army of hungry tipsters, Leventhal and Steele are irking restaurateurs, chefs and reporters alike with their timely scoops. They have broken stories about restaurant closings and the comings-and-goings of chefs, and their success has led to a new venture in Los Angeles.

There is also talk of stalking San Francisco's eateries and possibly delving into one or two other major cities.

The ascendancy of Eater.com is yet another example of the transformation in how news is disseminated in a blog-driven world. With sites like Eater.com, Chowhound.com and Thestrongbuzz.com, no longer do restaurant-obsessed New Yorkers have to wait for a weekly food and dining section in a newspaper or magazine to get the lowdown.

"I don't see Eater as a lone crusader," Steele, 32, said. "I see it as more of a larger trend toward the democratization of dining information..."

If Eater or any similar incarnation appear in your community trump them by buying an ad on the site even if it carries a premium!

Jingle's 1-800-Free411

Jingle's 1-800-Free411 is an ad supported directory assistance service. I gave the service a try and tasked it to find a Pizza Hut location in my city.

The computer voice was a gentle semi-sexy female incarnation that greeted me with precise and simple instructions. Unfortunately I was not helped by the computer because Pizza Hut has so many locations in my town and I did not provide exact enough geographic info.

I was prompted to a live operator and I asked her for help finding the closest Pizza Hut. Once I gave her a known location she sent me back to the computer system but before giving me the number of the store the computer hit me with a 30 second ad for a time share outfit pitching "free" vacations to Orlando and Las Vegas.
I already knew the Pizza Hut location so I pressed 2 and connected with the sponsor. I was offered a 4 day 3 night stay......... you know the pitch. I did not buy a package but I gave the salesman feedback on where I heard the ad. Not that he cared but maybe he will mention it to the marketing person.

Ad sponsored 411 is here and I see it as a winner for everyone. I'm anxious to see how I can get clients involved. One thought, I was asking for pizza and ended up with a vacation type ad. Not too targeted. A boost in ad inventory will cure this. Surely a pizza store would love to be in that spot. This is going to be a fantastic option for local business looking for highly targeted leads.

Yahoo! Local Reviews Close To Gold

Search Engine Watch highlights data reported by a Harris poll that confirms what seems obvious, people like to read what others have to say about a business. Polished advertising can make anything look good. They want to read what real people are saying.

"...asked users about the effect ratings and reviews might have on their decision to patronize a particular business. Overall, 79 percent of respondents said they'd be likely to be influenced by a rating or review on Yahoo Local, with 9 percent of respondents more likely to be influenced by a review that was negative, 23 percent more likely to be influenced by a review that was positive, and 47 percent likely to be influenced by both positive and negative reviews.

For merchants, the data highlights the necessity of getting out ahead of issues by proactively seeking out positive reviews from satisfied clients. It also underscores the importance of handling problems quickly and effectively, since the likelihood that an unsatisfied customer will post an online review is growing, and the effect those reviews have on potential customers is substantial...
Like it or not, UGC is here to stay"

ZDNet; Google Local Dilema

ZdNet's Donna Bogatin writes;

"The typical small business account is high-touch, but not high ticket. Local merchants expect Yellow Pages and local newspaper reps to march their feet on the street” over to their front doors to solicit, and earn, their ad budgets. Local advertising accounts are not easily booked; Regular hand-holding and substantial negotiation are the norm......

Google'’s hands-off, bid up your own ad rates, blind online auctions are not compatible with the traditional SME'’s conservative, grounded mindset. Google'’s high-profit margin AdWords business is not profitably scalable in a one-off, in-the-field, direct sales effort across millions of dispersed merchants."

Google will have to get feet on the ground or team with people who have foot troops at the ready. I predicted 2007 will be the year print directories turn their sales forces inwards towards the .com. They won't abandon print, not when they can still convince small restaurants to pony up 6k for a year in the book with a 1/4 page graphic ad, but they will push the net with equal vigor. Google will have to strike some deals.

Her point about AdWords is true. From my view only a very small percentage of small to medium enterprises understand PPC and those that have heard of it don't know where to look or how to become involved. To assume local merchants will eventually manage their own AdWord accounts to scale is inconceivable.

• They don't have time.
• They don't understand it.
• They don't want to be bothered with it.
  
• They don't know where to start.
  

As Donna's article points out they expect the Yellow Pages and newspaper reps. to explain their options and then DO IT for them. Under no circumstance will we see Y.P reps. managing PPC accounts for local merchants.

I see a huge opportunity for independent marketing reps. and boutique online marketing agencies. The Y.P reps. will whet the appetite for online involvement and the merchant will be stunned with the prices they are quoted. Independent marketers will be in a position to enter the vacuum presented by the Yellow Pages sales people. The marketing agency can offer everything the Y.P. people can plus PPC management and the requisite hand holding Ms. Bogatin describes.

The message to local business is this, before signing with the IYP rep. do a simple search on Google or Yahoo and look for a marketing agency in your area that understands PPC and is familiar with local search.

Yahoo! Local News, Easier Editing of Listings

News from Yahoo Local blog.

"It’s time to announce a new feature on Yahoo! Local which empowers you to add your favorite new local business, alert others when an old favorite has closed, and add or change business info quickly. Now you can truly be our eyes and ears in your community!.."

It's a nice feature but it's not too different from the "old" version. Maybe I am missing something or maybe they just wanted some pr for the local directory, a directory some feel is the best local platform on the web.

One of the things I like about Yelp is how easy it is to add, edit, or add photos of businesses by anyone. Two different local products and business models but Yahoo! trying the wiki route here is interesting.

Loren Baker at Search Engine Journal offers his thoughts and opinions on the new Yahoo! Local feature.

Dash Navigation and Yahoo! Team For Local Ads

Kevin Newcomb of Search Engine Watch reports Dash Navigation will use Yahoo! Local ads in it's onboard device when it debuts in the Fall of 2007.

"When a user enters their search term into their Dash Express, the device conducts a Yahoo Local search on the Web over a wireless connection. In many cases, Yahoo Local ratings and reviews are also presented with the listings. Results are formatted into address cards and presented to the user as a listing of nearby businesses, which can be mapped at the touch of a button..."

This should be noted by all local business for obvious reasons. If you are not in the system you will not be seen. Your competition will get the call or visit and his or her business will get the mobile customer.

Local Search Finds Recognition In 2006

As the year winds down and we look back on the year in search there were many great stories, mergers, personnel changes and interesting new products introduced. 2006 will ultimately be remembered in marketing history as the year local search marketing showed it could pay its way. ComScore released these amazing local search figures;

"....Based on a recent comScore Search Satisfaction study, 41 percent of those conducting a local search were searching for something in their home area, as opposed to searching for information on businesses in locales that they intended to visit. Additionally, among those searching in their home area, 59 percent indicated they were searching for a restaurant or something entertainment-related, such as a theater, theme park or an attraction for sightseeing. Another 52 percent said they were searching specifically for a business phone number or address. Two out of five local searchers (41 percent) were looking for information on a local service in their home area, including car rental office, dry cleaner or lawyer.

The comScore study also found that performing a local search drives consumers to take action. During the second quarter of 2006, 47 percent of local searchers visited a local merchant as a result of their search behavior, while 41 percent made contact offline. More than one-third (37 percent) made contact online as a result of conducting a local area search.

"Local search is experiencing strong growth as more consumers adapt to the 'always on' nature of their broadband connection, which enables them to quickly find information on local businesses," said Jack Flanagan, executive vice president of comScore Media Metrix. "With approximately 849 million local searches conducted by Americans in July, local advertisers have a sizable market that can be reached through leading search sites...."

2007 Prediction; YP's Unleash The Sales Hounds

Print directory operators like Yellow Pages and Yellow Book will concentrate on the digital customer. With print Yellow Pages usage clearly flattening these giants have no other choice but to retrain their sales forces to push their web platforms. There are breadcrumbs found and whispers heard across the internet that this is already beginning. Personal confirmation came when I received a call from a YellowPages.com salesman.

This guy was polished and his pitch was convincing as you would expect. He found me from the free listing I submitted to the YellowPages.com directory. He could put me in the third spot from the top on searches for "Internet Marketing" and one or two other keyword phrases for under $50. per month for the county I live in. The same spot for the entire State of California would be $500. per month. He quoted me usage stats on my keywords and suggested that the phrase "Internet marketing" was queried 34,000 times to date in 2006 on their platform.

I asked him where would my ad be distributed and he told me "throughout the Internet" without providing much detail until I pressed him. I already knew they provided listings to Yahoo, AOL, Switchboard and Local.com and some others but he was intentionally vague other than admitting the relationship with Yahoo! Local. In truth the distribution of YellowPages.com is not that extensive.

Intentionally vague must be #1 on the YP sales training handbook. Until I asked I was to believe my sponsored ad would be seen on all the platforms YellowPages.com partners with. I knew better, I know what it takes to get top sponsored listings on all the platforms. He never lied, he just never explained the whole story.

How many people will fall for this? The majority I believe. Yellow Pages sales people are familiar and while you may not like their pressure tactics you know what you are getting. It's easy to verify your print Yellow Pages ad just by looking in the book.

Currently there are few to none people selling the idea of local search to the mom and pop merchant. Most web marketers are concentrating on larger companies. Consultation fees run $200. to $500. per hour and many want a $25,000 monthly spend to take you as a client.

The void will be filled by the YP sales forces. They are coming and they will be very convincing and unless mom and pop understand their options they will pay.

If you get hit up by a Yellow Pages sales person and want to bounce their pitch off someone feel free to shoot me an email.
Whatever they are quoting you for sponsored placement on their sites your money can be better spent by spreading it out on the multitude of local search engines and directories available.
I don't charge anything for conversation!

Top 10 Local Search Oriented Blog Posts

Mike The Internet Guy offers up his list of "Top 10 Local Search Engine Optimization Blog Posts of 2006". Great list! Much thanks to Mike for putting the list together.
Lot's of A-list search marketing bloggers represented.

More On Wikiasari

Jimbo Wales of Wikia informs reporters and bloggers that Amazon are strictly investors in the project.

"Search is part of the fundamental infrastructure of the Internet. And, it is currently broken.

Why is it broken? It is broken for the same reason that proprietary software is always broken: lack of freedom, lack of community, lack of accountability, lack of transparency.

Here, we will change all that.

There have been some amazing projects in recent years which have matured now to the point that a new alternative is possible. Wikia is funding and supporting the development of something radically new..."

Wikiasari, Wikipedia and Amazon To Team Up

Search Engine Watch contributor Frank Watson blogs on an article from the London Times that Wikipedia and Amazon plan to team up to take on Google in search.

Just yesterday I was appreciating the power of Wikipedia and asked my boys ages 15 and 13 if they use Wikipedia and they responded like I was an ancient geezer, duh!
I asked if the prefer Wikipedia to Answers and I received an upgraded response. Wiki "pedia" is more like an encyclopedia. When I reminded tham that Answers.com cites encyclopedias as well as other top level reference sources they told me it doesn't matter, Wikipedia does the trick.
I can see why too, Wikipedia takes you directly to the definition of a matter, not 14 ways to pronounce the word or term before getting to the meat of the term in question.

I think they appreciate Wikipedia's informal and unpolished presentation. Curiously my kids did not know what a Wiki was! The geezer knew something the web wiz boys did not know.

The Wiki concept doesn't appear to have taken the middle or high school kids by storm yet.

A decent effort by Amazon and Wikipedia may steal some eyeballs from Google. I find myself going to Wikipedia more often. This is because Google and Yahoo are serving me less relevant results. Google has been gamed, SEOed to death basically.

Wikiasari, the name is lame but I can't wait to see it!

Craigslist For Local Merchants

Mike Boland posts his thoughts on an article from The Street.com on how small business is waking up to the Craigslist for marketing. This subject is not new at all but it's nice to see some commentary from The Street and very nice to read Mike Boland's expert insight on the subject.

Former Googler Wins Survivor

Ex-Googler Yul Kwon won the 1 million dollar prize on the Survivor TV show last night. According to Kwon's biography he worked with Google's business strategy group for a time.

His bio reads like a Googler;

"Kwon then attended Stanford University and obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in symbolic systems (theoretical computer science). While at Stanford, he received the James Lyons Award for Service, attended officer candidates school for the U.S. Marine Corps and graduated Phi Beta Kappa. Kwon went on to receive his Juris Doctor Degree from Yale Law School, where he served on the editorial board of the Yale Law Journal.

Kwon has enjoyed a diverse career straddling both the private and public sectors in law, business and technology. He practiced a mix of litigation, appellate, transactional and regulatory work at several law firms. He also served as a judicial clerk to a federal judge on the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals. Additionally, he worked as a legislative aide to Senator Joseph Lieberman in Washington, D.C., where he helped draft sections of the Homeland Security Bill and other technology-related legislation. Several years ago, Kwon decided to switch careers and become a management consultant at McKinsey. From there, he joined Google's business strategy group and most recently went back into consulting. "

Google Making It Easy For The Local Advertiser

This is a follow up to my post a couple of days ago. Inside AdWords explains how to use AdWords even if you don't have a website.

Google Local Tab Coming Back?

Will Google replace the current Maps tab with the original Local tab?

While following up on my previous post cruising through the AdWords labyrinth I noticed Google is referring to a "Local" tab in the local targeting demo video which can be accessed from this page. There is no reference to the "Maps" tab on the demo.

According to Wayback we see Google introduced a local tab on February 4, 2005 and this is how the home page looked back then.
In April of this year Google replaced the Local tab with the Maps tab seen here. So will Google go back to the future or is the video outdated? I hope they do, the maps tab is confusing to everyone but big G's engineers. I'm always having to convince clients it really is their local search engine.

Google AdWords; No Website Needed

Greg Sterling points us to AdWord , a product that allows advertisers to display their small business ad without a website.
They have made it so easy even a Caveman can do it.

SES Chicago Local Panel

SERoundtable blogs the local panel from S.E.S. Chicago.

There is so much to be learned from this presentation. I'm running tonight so I cannot elaborate on all the juicy details at the moment but I consider the review a must read.

A snippet from the panel. These notes reflect the words of panelist Justin Sanger the President of LocalLaunch.com;

"How do you do something different? Tactical fragmetnation, online classified, yellow pages, local media sites like news slite, judysbook, social networking, local and vertical search, craigslist, Yelp, Insider Pages, 2006 is the year of social marketing. Each of these is significant. They lead to confusion though. Need to think beyond traditional seo like landing pages. 'There is no single landing page for a business anymore. It's not about a website. It's about business information online. It's a different way of thinking. We must cleanse, enrich and optimize content. Think: Atomization - separate and spread. Managing and dispersing biz info is the local search markeitng tactic of our time. The new local search landscape requires new thinking."

Justin has his finger on it. We have been preaching this mantra now for more than a year. It's a very exciting time for the local advertiser.

* In the history of media there has never been a better opportunity for local businesses to dominate their niche. Some day this wide open door will close, for now the early adopter is enjoying rare air.

A more detailed summary of the panel can be found on this PDF.

AskCity To Include Reviews From Multiple Sites

John Battelle runs an interview with the CEO of ASK.com concerning the premiere of AskCity.com their new local search vertical. Concerning consumer generated reviews he points out the following;

"We not only feature full editorial profiles of each business, but we include 10 years worth of reviews, both from IAC companies like Citysearch and ServiceMagic, as well as non-IAC companies like Yelp, Tribune, OpenTable, RottenTomatoes, TripAdvisor, InsiderPages, JudysBook, Fandango and others. 
 
An important differentiator with AskCity is the fact that we return these reviews right within the results, just beneath the full profile of the business, service, locale, movie, etc. We even have reviews of the movie theaters themselves.
"

Nice, Yahoo uses InsiderPages and Yelp reviews are found with increased frequency on Google. What this means to the small business operator is they need to be reviewed actively.

Part of our service is explaining how to have your customers review your business or service. Do a search on Yelp, Angie's List, InsiderPages or Judy's Book and see if you have been reviewed. Look at the positive and negative summaries or reviews. If you have been reviewed negatively those poor mentions can be mediated. The positive reviews will act as gold as the genre gains traction. Soon all local business will be judged in part by consumer reviews.

The Holy Grail Of Local Search

Find the clues within this grasshopper and you too shall understand the potential power of internet advertising for local business today.

Google Integrating Blog & Organic Search

Andy Boyd spots blog results in Google general web search results. Andy's screen shot shows Google is testing placing blog results on the bottom of the page.

The message has never been more clear, all business large or small must blog.

Integrating Search; Seven Challenges

MediaPost's Search Insider blog author Rob Garner reviews his presentation at Ad:Tech NY entitled, "Planning and Execution of Search Engine Marketing Projects".

Selling Local Should Not Be So Tough

A fence company was doing a job on my street the other day. The company name was on the side of the truck as was their website address.

I saw a potential customer, my kind of client, but before I called the number on the truck I visited the website and performed a few simple searches on the major and minor engines, directories and IYPs to see what kind of presence they already had in our local market.

Their website is simple and to the point but has no pictures or testimonials, it merely provides a contact number and the cities they serve. It's better than nothing but because there is zero optimization they only show up for searches on their company name. Someone searching for a fencing contractor would never see them.

I called the company and asked to speak to the owner or manager. The "associate" answering the call asked me the nature of the call and I explained to him briefly that I was an internet marketer for small business in his market and that I could enhance his local presence on the web.
As I waited on hold my intuition told me I will not get the chance to speak to the owner. True enough the associate returned and informed me they are not interested in that.

Not interested in what? More business? I see this every day now. This should not be a hard sell, the product speaks for itself.

I have clients enjoying little to NO competition in their category using a geo-targeted Google AdWord campaign. Two of my clients did not have a website before September and now they are going head to head with the national advertisers on Google page one sponsored results in their local area.

I'll send a letter or email to the owners of the fence company. Five minutes on the phone and he would have been up and running by that evening. Oh well.

Faith Hill And The Art Of Harming Your Brand

Country DivaFaith Hill shows us how to dent your brand badly. Marketing lessons aplenty here!

Print Yellow Pages, Mere Doorstops?

Nearly every small business advertises in the print yellow pages. The industry has a strangle hold on small business. Ever wonder how what people do with their books. The Kelsey Group Blog gives us some startling statistics from one Iowa county.

"The newest Dex Qwest phonebooks that will be distributed throughout Scott County will only include Iowa phone numbers. What will you do with it?

• Use the phonebook 13%
• Pitch the phonebook 49%
• Leave it on my doorstep 2%
• Give it to someone I don’t like 5%
• Add it to my collection 7%
• I live in Illinois, fools 13%
• I really don’t care 11% "