Dream Systems Media has been providing local search engine marketing for small town business owners for almost a decade and we wanted to share some of that history here.   We hope everyone enjoys using and viewing it as much as we enjoyed creating it.

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Since communication

Asking others, talking with friends and family

Asking the opinion of people that you trust has always been a staple of local search. Since people have been able to communicate, they’ve been sharing their favorite hunting spots, or fheir favorite coffee shops. Local business owners have been able to take advantage of this by making sure that their service/product is always the best around, thereby facilitating conversation about it.

Top 5 Native Languages Spoken Worldwide
Language
1. Mandarin
2. Spanish
3. English
4. Hindi-Urdu
5. Arabic

Native
845 million
329 million
328 million
240 million
232 million

Total
1025 million
390 million
-
405 million
452 million

Since Written Word

Walking/traveling & depending on signage

People have always traveled. We have also almost always needed something when we travel. One of the ways that we find things is by walking or driving, and looking for signage. Whether its a billboard, or a sandwich board in front of a local butcher, we depend on signage to inform us.

The US sign industry employs over 250,000
The Sign Manufacturing industry is worth
$11.7 billion
67% of US sign exports are bound for Canada & Mexico

1440

Reading printed word

With the advent of the printing press came the ability to print local advertising. Local advertising in newspapers & magazines have long been a staple of local search. The first yellow Pages directory was published in 1886, which featured business names and phone numbers, categorized by products and services. Whether you’re searching the classifides for something, reading about a local shop, or looking through the yellow pages, reading the printed word has been, and will be, a staple of local search

Worldwide Circulation of Top 5 Printed Magazines

Title
1. The watchtower
2. Awake!
3. AARP The Magazine
4. AARP Bulletin
5. Reader’s Digest

Circulation
42,182,000
41,042,000
23,721,626
23,574,328
17,000,000

Languages
194
84
1
1
21

Founded
1879
1919
1958
1960
1922

1915

Radio Transmission

In 1915, speech was transmitted from New York to San Francisco, and from Arlington VA to the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The marked the beginning of radio broadcasting, which allowed people around the world to hear transmitted human voices. This communication medium has also allowed people all over the world to listen for information that is beneficial, allowing radio transmission to be a viable search medium.

9 out of 10 people listen to the radio at least once a week

1926

Television Broadcast

On January 23, 1926, John Logie Baird gave the world’s first public demonstration of a mechanical television apparatus. Since then, TV has been a vital source for information for people all around the world. People often turn to television to find local information. Today, whether its a local news broadcast, or advertising, televsion continues to play a large role in informing local search patterns.

The Average American watches…

4 hours a day
2 straight months a year
9 straight years in a lifetime

1989

Internet

The first internet service provider, “The World” launches, opening the doorway for people all over the world to become connected to the internet. This was the firs step in making local search informative and instantenous.

Internet Users in the World by Region

Asia – 44%
Europe – 22.7%
North America – 13%
Latin Am/Carib – 10.3%
Africa – 5.7%
Middle East – 3.3%
Oceania/Aust – 1.0%

1995

Craigslist

Craigslist started by Craig Newmark as a way of staying on top of San Francisco’s busy arts and technology scene. It quickly became a way for people to both buy and sell items online, limiting the search area to their city/area.

60,309,277 unique visitors in November, 2011
Erotic Services ranks among the most popular categories

1999

Mobile GPS

The first instance of GPS being integrated into a mobile phone was the “Benefon Esc!” phone in 1999. Mobilizing GPS into a phone opened the way for phones all over the world to later integrate GPS as a key feature for local search functionality.

86% of all mobile phones sold in the US come with GPS capabilities.

2004

Google Local Launches

Google Local Launches in 2004 offering relevant neighborhood business listings, maps, and directions. This new local concentration gives local businesses the opportunity to have a strong web presence, connecting them ton individuals who are searching.

20% of Google searches are for local information

2004

Yelp Launches

Yelp launches in 2004 from an office on Mission Street new museum row in San Francisco. By contentrating on reviews of local places, Yelp becomes one of the most trusted sources for local search and reviews.

Reviewed Businesses by Category

Restaurants – 26%
Shopping – 24%
Beauty & Fitness – 9%
Arts, Entertainment – 8%
Home & Local – 8%
Nightlife – 4%
Health – 5%
Travel & Leisure – 4%
Auto – 3%
Other – 10%

2005 -

The Virtual Earth

Google & Microsoft both launch their own “Virtual Earth” applications, that combine local search with maps and arial photography, along with 3d buildings, and terrain. This is an example of local search ebing used in a different application.

Google Earth includes 1,288 shipwrecks including the Titanic in 3D

2005

Google Maps

Google Maps Released, featuring satellite views and directions. Google Maps quickly becomes one of the most trusted mapping systems on the internet.

Google Maps usage is 40% mobile, or 150 million users.

2005

Google Local on Mobile

Google Local available for mobile devices, including SMS driving directions. This step in local search allowed users to search and get directions on their mobile devices, no longer being tethered to their computers.

Google Maps Navigation has guided 12 billion drivers a year.

2007

Yahoo OneSearch Goes Local

Yahoo OneSearch begins doing local searches in 2007. Now search results in OneSearch also return local search results.

Yahoo owns 6% of the Mobile/Table search engine share. Google owns 91%

2007

Google Maps Place on iPhone

in 2007, Google Maps is placed on the iPhone. For the first time, users are able to search for what’s nearby, using a native application, and get search results shown within the context of a Google Map, on a mobile device.

1,389,000 iPhones on the market at the end of 2007

72,300,000 iPhones on the market at the end of 2011

2008

Google Android

Google’s first Android phone, the T0Mobile G1 is launched, with GPS and full Google maps integration to make local searches not only simple, but a natural extension of the Android mobile device.

By the end of the 3rd quarter in 2011, Android devices accounted for 53% of worldwide shipments.

2009

Google Place Pages

Google launches Place Pages in Google Maps in 2009. This is one page that organizes all the relevant information about a business, point of interest, transit station, neighborhood, landmark or city, in any part of the world, in one place. Place pages include details like photos, videos, street view preview, nearby transit, reviews, and related websites.

Google has generated nearly 40 million place pages that are waiting to be unlocked.

2009

Augmented Reality

Layar launches what they market as “the first augmented reality browser”. Augmented reality browsers allow users to use their device’s camera as a way to see what is near them. Yelp’s “Monocle” feature also acts as an augmented reality browser.

197,000,000 augmented reality capable smartphones are set to be in the global market by 2012.

2011

Siri

Siri, on the Apple iPhone 4s, lets you use your voice to command the phone to do things such as send messages, call, and yes, search. Siri understands natural language, and responds to your commands.

If you use Siri 10-15 times a day she would use about 18.5 – 27.7 MB of data a month.

2012

Foursquare Search Options Emerge

On January 12, Foursquare launched a new search option under the “explore” tab. This new option allows a user to search, then filter by locations that Foursquare recommends, places you’ve been to, places you haven’t been to, places your friends have been to, or just places that are offering specials.

Foursquare now boasts 1.5 billion checkins which feed these search results.

Local search marketing may be in it’s infancy for Google, but this baby is booming. In two short years they have grown through a 10-pack, to a 7-pack, to a mixed local and organic result. They have further added a revenue stream with Google Sponsored tags (Yellow tags) and most recently they added Google Boost. Google boost has been active for about 6 months now, so time for a review of the latest GEO/Local adverting package from Google. To Boost but not to boast.

What is Google Boost?

Google boost is a new pay per click (PPC) advertising push from Google that is being promoted through Google Places. This ad is unique in it’s style from other PPC ads because it features a blue pin drop and is only offered to local businesses that have a local physical office.

The Blue Pin drop is a Google Boost Ad but this shows a Truly Nolen location w/ no reviews

Google Boost with Sponsored Tag and pest control reviews

The Pros to Google Boost

Pro #1 – Location, Location, Location

One of the key P’s to any marketing strategy is the “Place”.  Clearly there is  a certain appeal to doing business with a company that feels like a neighbor. Having a blue pin drop on a familiar local map adds a nice warm fuzzy to the consumer. Plus they are now supporting the local economy. So the new ad layout is fantastic.  I am drooling over the simplicity. Plus the clear message that says, “Do Business with your Local Pest Control Guy. Good’ole hometown heroes.”

Pro #2 – 5 Star Reviews

The best comeback in any sporting event when the fans start cheering, “We’ve got spirit yes we do” is “we’ve got more check the score!” The reviews make this Google Boost the cream of the crop pay-per-click option, if you have the reviews to boast about your company. But honestly, no one simply believes all the pretty text you have on your website promoting your service.  Your website will never tell the customer what potential problems they could face. Reviews on the other hand are raw and real. The bad reviews show your company weaknesses, which is okay, because every company has some problems. But, the overall rating is the real punch. If your ration of good to bad reviews is good then those little yellow stars become a Gold Star min.

Pro #3 – Phone Number

I must admit that having a phone number included on the ad could potentially get an advertiser phone calls that they are not directly paying for.  This is a pretty hefty bonus buy which could make or break the value of the Google Boost program.

Pro #4 – Easy to set up and runs automatically.

When you log into your Google places you will see convenient link  Create Boost ad Click on it and you will come to a very simple fill out forum like this one:

Set-UP From Google Places

Hit Continue. Read some legal jargon on the next page,  agree to pay, and you are on your way to a hassle free automatic Pay per click system. For the average business owner, this system could work well. There will be no overhead for a PPC management firm. There is nothing more to do. Just sit back, relax, and let the leads roll in. I mean… “Pay only for success You only pay when potential customers click on your ad.” http://places.google.com/boost Sarcasm aside, this may truly be a benefit for a busy business owner.

The Pests/Cons to Google Boost

Having test driven the new Google boost system for a couple of months now, I have come across a few bugs.  Yes, I am pest control guy so bare with the pest/con switch-a-roo.

Pest # 1 – Automatic Keyword Selection

Hmmm… This poses several problems, some of which could be monumental depending on your “Category”. Specifically, with pest control there are several different types of pests an exterminator may or may not control. Pests, like rats, snakes, pigeons, require different treatment options that not all pest control companies will offer. More specifically, as of late, bed bugs have become a huge concern, and not all pest control services treat for bed bugs.  Further, some of these pests, like termites, require specific licensing. Potentially moving Google boost advertisers into a red zone for violating state laws.

Google does offer an option to “Provide feedback on these keywords”, but I’ve yet to get any feedback on the feedback that I provided. And some of those terms, “Bulwark Exterminating”,  are still showing in my keywords. (Sorry, but if they are requesting my company by name then I have already done my marketing job and paying for that click is money wasted.) So there is no way to exclude keywords from your campaign. In my professional opinion this is a HUGE PEST PROBLEM.

Pest #2 – Automatic Bidding

So let’s hand over the hen house keys  to the fox. Do some simple math of the numbers they lay out in the sign up and here are the numbers from the ranges they outlined above:

Granted Google Boost didn’t max out the cost per click in my campaign. But those prices per click are much MUCH higher than our adsense average. Those are premium prices, and from that list of keywords above, not all of those keywords are premium competitors. And if these Google Boost ads work in conjunction with the other adsense ads then Google has it’s own horse in the bidding races effectively raising the prices on all other pest control clicks. But hey, at least I don’t have to worry about Quality Score anymore.

Pest #3 – Lack of information.

Despite the link at the top that suggests you can dig deeper if you’d like, that link for More Details takes you to a support page. So there are no lists of additional keywords they are bidding on. And if you want to calculate the click through rates of your ads you will have to do it manually. The math for numbers above, CTR=0.5%.  If you want that CTR to improve you will need to log and monitor your own dates of changes made to the ad.

Pest #4 – Tracking

The advertiser cannot insert a call tracking number. The advertiser cannot even insert a custom landing page. So all the advertiser is left with is their Google Analytics. Yes they do provide a report under adwords specific to Google Boost. Although they named it: Places Ads_2g55663ebe1687_1. We will assume it’s one in the same. But left only with this as a measuring stick the numbers are not looking too good. Average time on site is lower than the Adwords average time on site. Although page views are up… probably because they are having to search for the information they want.

Google Boost Review

To sum it up. Google Boost has the makings to be the cream of the crop for local advertising. The Boost ad is simple, sleek, and powerful for those companies that provide quality local services. But can the added style and design compensate for the lack of control? Do the Pros really out weigh the Cons? Do you really want the fox guarding the hen house? Theses few cons may bug  internet marketers to the point that Google Boost isn’t anything to boast about.

Attention local business owners: location based services games checkins are here to stay. You need to stop worrying about people robbing you blind, or knowing where we are at all times, or any of the other things you heard that may have scared you about location based marketing checkins.  I am talking about Foursquare - so now what?  I think it’s important to see what you are missing out on.  There are lots of awesome posts lately about Foursquare, and tools etc., but until you actually get a visual of it, and what it can do for you (and how it can get real people in your doors) I don’t think you are going to pay much attention.

So here goes.  The people that play these games use Foursquare, are the ones you are trying to reach out to with these ads.  They are probably already loyal customers (especially the mayors) as they have to have at least two checkins, and more checkins than anybody during a 60 day period to carry that title.  You are going to keep them coming back by offering them something “as the mayor” or offering to “unlock a special” and guess what?  It has a ripple effect of people who are also loyal Foursquare users (to your business) trying to dethrone that individual and take their special offer.  You got many people, and in some cities and establishments hundreds if not thousands continually coming back … into YOUR business … trying to become the “Mayor” or “unlock the special”.  If you don’t see this yet, I don’t know that I can help.  Besides this OBVIOUS form of driving the herds in, you are going to get these same types (yes they all have blogs – ok maybe not all) talking about you, and linking to your business, which of course, is a GOOD thing.

Lets take a closer look: Recently, I went to checkin to a place I love called Cantina Loredo here in the Phoenix area, and you will notice in the top right hand corner of the image a “Special Nearby” banner that you can click on that will take you to a business nearby that has a special offer for whoever is the mayor of that place.  So THAT business, not the one I checked into, is the one who is doing the advertising on Foursquare.  Think about it, you just get done eating a good meal, and then get the offer for free drinks, or a certain percentage off, or dessert!  If you are a business owner, it’s endless what you can offer, you just have to think about what is nearby and would work well.  Not every business you will checkin to on Foursquare has this (huge opportunity hint hint) but I live in a small town on the outskirts of Phoenix, and if these guys are embracing it here, I think the rest of the country needs to take note.  It is kind of an eye opener.

Foursquare Checkins

Here is a screenshot of the “Special Offer” from above, once it was clicked on it.  So you see, businesses are doing their best to drive traffic (via these Foursquare ads) off each other based on their specific location.

Foursquare Special Offer

Another example of businesses using the tools for advertising that Foursquare is offering (oh, and I forgot to mention – at this point, its ALL FREE)  Your business will get listed eventually, even if you have not claimed it, or added it yourself, so when the results of the businesses come up – take a look at this screenshot and tell me, which listing draws your attention?  We all want specials and deals right?  Again, it just makes sense for certain businesses to be taking advantage of this.

Foursquare Ads

For those who are still on the fence or who only worry about Foursquare being a place for people to spy on you to rob you blind – I want to give you a quote from a good friend of mine, and AVID Foursquare user:  Chuck Reynolds “Most people are gone ALL DAY ANYWAY at work, if people want to break into your home when you are gone, there is ample opportunity”

This post is a little bit of a teaser if you will, for what’s to come on the SMX Advanced panel I will be on with Will Scott, Vince Blackham, Michael Martin & Dylan Swift (Yelp) with Greg Sterling as the moderator.  We all got some amazing info to share, and we are all freaks when it comes to local, so if you are into local, you are going to love our panel!

*UPDATE:  Also, please take the time to check out the first ever Foursquare Advertiser Survey Dream Systems Media is a part of, with 3 other companies focused on local search and social media.

Some Burros

As I was searching online for some information to one of my favorite Mexican food joints here in Arizona I ran across several problems with their website and wanted to share them here.  I also came across several areas where I thought they could capitalize on social marketing, increase traffic to their website and interact better (online) with the people who love them.

The Argument:

You walk into one of their locations and they are already packed.  True, but tell me of a business (you know of) that does not want to reach MORE customers, or expand to MORE locations?  If they are speaking the truth, every business wants to grow and expand – and of course, make more money.  So, I feel with a few improvements to their website and nickles worth of free social marketing advice here, I think they could be making vast improvements to their overall bottom line.

Their Website Problems:

The entire thing, besides one html page and some PDFs is built in flash, that means – the entire website is a single flash file, which is NO GOOD for search engine optimization, because even if the flash is crawlable, only be a single page indexed.  They have four valley locations and could be doing a better job with their local marketing and creating pages that target those areas.  When they do this, people searching for them, and those locations get a better experience when they are taken right to the exact information they are looking for.  People hate having to search through an unfriendly website trying to find the information they want.  There are many other things having a site like this will not allow you to capitalize on SEO wise, but for the sake of keeping this post simple – I am not going to go there.

For example:

They have 4 locations here in the valley, so they should at least have four crawlable pages to target the specific locations like so:

• http://www.someburros.com/gilbert-arizona-location
• http://www.someburros.com/tempe-arizona-location
• http://www.someburros.com/san-tan-arizona-location
• http://www.someburros.com/chandler-arizona-location

We will get into how they can capitalize on social marketing with those specific location pages here in a minute, but first lets talk about why doing the above thing is good.  When I go to Google to look for information on “Some Burros San Tan Location” (because they do catering so it’s not out of the question to think that people will be looking information for them online) the result that needs to come up is the http://www.someburros.com/san-tan-arizona-location page because then I do not have to navigate several clicks on their website “trying to find” the information I was looking for.

They also have the opportunity to include a link to their Google Maps listing on that page (for that specific location) and maybe link to their Yelp listing with a link that says: “see what people are saying about us”.  By doing this, you are sealing the deal with being found for not only your specific name searches locally, (when you get crawled) but almost anything GEO targeted in your industry (ie: a search on Google for “Mexican Food restaurant in San Tan Arizona”).  This really is just the beginning of how they can capitalize, but I think that gives them a good start. (if they just so happen to be reading this)

Social opportunities missed (and solutions offered):

You see they have a page on their website talking about coupons and promotions (so you know, they know people are looking for this info online – or they would not have included it).  People do not want to go through the process of clicking on, and sending you an email just to get your offers – they want the easy way of getting your offers and deals: In comes social marketing. 

Here is my suggestion to them:  Why not have a place to connect with customers via Twitter and Facebook?  You can tell them to follow you on Twitter, and friend you on Facebook for special deals that only they get by being your friend or by being a follower.  This gives customers a reason to follow your business on Twitter, or friend you on Facebook because they are getting (and know about) deals of the day that are going on. Put the “Follow Us On Twitter” or Facebook “Friend Me” logos/buttons on the specific location pages (as talked about above) where someone (that worsk for that location) can give specific updates and offers (again, for THAT LOCATION), and offer a little insight or blurb on the page why following or friending would be a good thing etc.

This will bring a whole new following of people to your business, and you can connect with them in a way you never thought was possible – the human way.  There are so many other things that this will do for your business that you do not realize, like filling the SERPs up with the content that you want out there – so its great for reputation management.

Being social just helps your business connect with more people too (then the regulars), you will gain new attention, attract new customers and will be keeping up with the marketing techniques of this generation.  I am going to give local businesses a warning – if you are not making your sites more friendly, and doing everything you can to connect with your customers on a social level, you will be left in the dust by a competitor that is doing this, and “gets it”.

I hope other businesses can learn and get some ideas from this post, and that Some Burros can take it as (like I said) a nickles worth of free advice to improving things.  Its funny, I suffer from a problem that most don’t … when I am online doing searches, or looking for something I can’t just “look” and get the info I wanted.  I have to look at everything as if I were doing marketing for them (always a marketer) – it’s a curse I know, but I hope these guys benefit from it this time, and that everyone can learn something!  LOL

Yelp - For Local Reviews

Local marketing bliss is what I want to share! For those of you who own a local business, how would you like to get your business on the first page of Google today? In most cases, you will achieve top 5 results with out any real SEO! What if I told you, that you could achieve these types of rankings without having a website. You would jump on the opportunity right? Of course you would, so here are instruction on how to capitalize:

I, like many other people own an iPhone and have downloaded the Yelp app (a local review service). This app has an amazing feature that allows you to search for businesses and reviews near you. What I have discovered is that most local businesses are not even listed, nor are there any reviews. I had a blast over the weekend reviewing all the places I ate at during a little trip. (Most of these businesses did not have any reviews prior to mine.) So, if you own a local business, even if you do not have a website, you need to get your business listed and reviewed on Yelp.

Let me show you some pictures that should illustrate what I am talking about. Lets say you are out and about, visiting a new town, and looking for a place to eat. You get out your iPhone and open up the Yelp application. You will see in most of the listings, there are no reviews. What’s even better is when you do a regular search on Google for these businesses names (Or ethnic food + city etc) you will get a Yelp listing in the top 2 or 3. I have found the places I tend to pick to eat at are the ones that have reviews. I really want to see what other people thought of the place, and then I will generally add my two cents after I have experienced the restaurant. This application can be powerful for you = Big potential foot traffic booster!!

Yelp App For iPhone

You will see in this picture that the app allows you to search for almost anything nearby. So even if you don’t own an eating establishment, you still need to be on Yelp.

Yelp application helps find local reviews

It is pretty easy to add a review from the application. You can upload photos, write reviews, and a bunch of other stuff. Most of the Yelp listings are already ranking well in Google, so the minute you add your review so will all that new information you posted. Your information, right there – on the top of Google and you paid nothing for it!

Adding a business review on Yelp

Let me illustrate just how easy it is to write a review on Yelp. First, you make your star rating and then include your draft. You can also publish your “app review” to your Yelp account once you are online and signed into your regular Yelp account.

Drafting a review on Yelp

Here is an example of a high-ranking Yelp listing on Google when searching for a business name. See the Yelp listing ranks well, and your business could be ranking with it, whether you have a website or not. You will get actual customers from people who find you online through the Yelp application.

Yelp Google Results

I have talked with several business owners who tell me they get loads of visitors because of Yelp. How do they know? They ask. Any time a customer comes in they find out if it was their first time, and why they came in. Many times, they are told that a Yelp review prompted them to give the place a shot. Don’t miss out on this free money maker! I am telling you to get your business listing on Yelp and start to learn and understand local review sites and mobile applications.

I know I am not the only guy that will snap a couple shots of the food I am eating and draft a review after my experience. This is also a great strategy for working on your business’s reputation management. You need to monitor what people are saying about your business and make it easy for those who enjoy your business to get online and tell others about their experiences.

This last picture is just to show you what the business listing looks like on Yelp. I want to point out that business review I posted and the new pictures I included are already getting views, because the Yelp listing for the business is already ranking. It is instant gratification for local business owners!

What A Yelp Listing Looks Like

Of course, Yelp is not the only local review site out there, in fact, there are more then you can keep count of. But, Yelp is one of the few that rank well and therefore the one you should start with, but be warned, do not go and start filling out your own reviews.  The Yelp review filter (annoying as it is to some) is pretty good and can sniff out bad or fake reviews.

Anyone have success stories with Yelp they would like to share? I would love to hear comments from people who have used Yelp, and can help businesses do more taking advantage of this service! Thanks in advance.

Local Search

I got distracted today and the result of that distraction is this post. I was curious about something dealing with local search and the SERPs – so I decided to do a little comparison. The four major search engines I compared are Google, Yahoo, MSN and ASK. I wanted to find out how their specific local programs compared to one another when searching for non geo-targeted terms? I wondered if I would get any usable results without using a geo-modifier? The following screen-shots are going to explain the title of this post much better then any of my words can. I am also pretty sure that including ASK as a major search engine is a choice I will regret later on, but then again it is the official search engine of NASCAR (and that’s got to count for something, right??)!

I have been a huge Google Local fan for what seems forever, and this post is all the proof I need to know I need to keep using it. I have also been a huge fan of local online advertising, and in many of my posts I share local advertising techniques. I do not know why it is so hard for businesses and other SEOs/Internet marketing firms to remember to include the simple local programs that are offered – for free!

As I was comparing some of the local results with various search engines, I thought it would be interesting to see when local advertising results appear when non geo-targeted phrases are searched. In other words – lets say you live in Arizona, and are looking for a custom pool builder, but instead of searching for “Arizona Custom Pools”, you simply do a search for “Custom Pools”. Which of the search engines are going to help you find results that are relevant to your local area the best?

And the winner is: Google. (no surprises here huh?)

Google Local Results

I did a search on Google for “custom pools” and got these results back (see screen-shot) that give me mostly local Arizona results, even though I searched without the “Arizona” in the phrase. The local results are some of the ones that come up, which is actually the whole point of this post. So, make sure you add your business to the local areas that the search engines allow you to. It is also noteworthy the way that Google includes some local image results which can be picked up from many different places – this occurs by using the right “geo-targeted” keywords in your alt tags and including the right information when you upload your pictures of places like Flickr.

Next up: Yahoo

The next screen shot is of Yahoo, and the reason I am not pleased with any of these results is because not one of them is a local result. They also show nothing in the form of local results as Google does.

Yahoo Local

Of course, I think it’s still important to get a local listing with Yahoo. But, I think that Yahoo can do much better. I modified the search to include “Arizona” in the search phrase, and guess what? Still none of the results are from the Yahoo Local results program. Lots of local results, but nothing that makes it easy to find a local pool builder near me! Yes, It does make a difference too because if it (the SE) finds a builder that is closer to you – that’s a better result. The #1 result for this search was for a company that builds far away from where I live. How is that going to help me? I want results to come up that are useful and that will help me in my area and this is where the local results program could really come into play.

MSN:

The funny thing here was most of the results that came back on MSN, were for the East coast. How is that going to do me any good in Arizona? However, MSN did do a better job at getting me decent usable local results (compared to Yahoo) when I modified the search phrase to include “Arizona”, but still did not bring back any of the MSN Local program results – which again, I think would be the “best” result.

MSN Local

Finally, ASK:

Ask did not bring back any local program results, which I thought they would have, but to my surprise they did list citysearch as the #1 result which I think is far more useful then any of the results that Yahoo and MSN brought back. Even when I modified the search to include “Arizona”, ASK did not offer up any local results = FAIL.

ASK Local

Although, I feel many of these search engines failed, I do still think it’s very important to obtain the local listing through the local program for each SE. Why? Because, there are many times they work really well… for example any time you include a specific town/city.

I just wanted to run this little test to see how every SE compared. Google rocked it of course and what is interesting is that no one else is copying the Google. And usually they do!

It was also cool to see how local businesses, if listed with Google Local, can earn a top 10 ranking out of (in this case) 200 plus million sites for a non geo-targeted seach phrase such as “custom pools”. That alone should be reason enough for any local business to take the time to get listed with Google Local. So besides obtaining the local program listings on all of the major search engines, I have noticed that obtaining listings in other local directories like the following (see below) have helped increase the search engines awareness of your local presence – and I think are a MUST!

1. CitySearch
2. YellowPages
3. USCity
4. AOL Local Search
5. Local Search Guide
6. Yelp
7. Local.com

In conclusion:

The bottom line here is to make sure you go to Google, Yahoo, MSN and Ask (TODAY) and sign up for the local programs. It is fast, easy, and free. If you need help figuring out whether you are listed with them or not, you might want to try Get Listed, which a great resource that will help walk you through what you need to be doing. Got anything to add to this? Let me know. I love comments! Thanks!

If you own an offline business in any local market then there is no reason to not be using a Google Maps listing.  I wanted to share an example of an offline business doing some local marketing right, especially when it comes to Google.  The local businesses I feel could really take advantage, and learn from this post are the ones offering food and things that are not easy (or available) to “purchase” online.

I am a big fan of China City Super Buffet, a huge Chinese food buffet we have close to where I live.  I know that many businesses that list with Google Maps also offer printable coupons with their listings (besides online coupon codes), so I wanted to see if China City was offering any.  In the process of all this I wanted to take some screen shots and show you how effective it is and all you can do through a Google Maps listing.

Just a reminder when you first go to Google Maps, you will see where there is an option to “put your business on Google Maps”  This is where it all starts.

Add Your Business To Google Maps

Once you get your business listed, and just in case its been a while since you checked out your Google Maps listing, you need to be aware of all the new features they now offer businesses.  You can upload photos, videos and so much more.  If you already have a listing and want to see these features, just log into your Google account and go to the Google Maps and find your listings and edit them.  You will then see all the new options you have.

So here’s what I feel China City did right – If you are listed with Google Maps (the first thing to do right) then when people search for your business on Google, they will get a result that looks like this:

China City Super Buffet

When you click on the Map, you will be taken to a page that looks like this:  This leads me to what I feel is the most important thing offline businesses need to be taking advantage of – COUPONS!

China City Super Buffet

Google Maps lets you have the ability to offer printable coupons that your customers can print off and bring right into the store and save money.  In this case, China City Super Buffet offer you 15% off your entire bill.  That’s a pretty decent savings IMO.   Check out how easy they make it on you:

China City Super Buffet Coupon

This is a very simple local marketing tip using Google Maps but most local business are not taking advantage!  Hopefully, if you own an offline (local business) this gives you some ideas and what you can do to drive more traffic and take advantage of the people looking for you online.

The whole reason I personally blog is to inform my readers of the things they need to be doing to help them increase their business online.  It really is that simple for me. I am not in it for popularity, and there is nothing (and I mean – NOTHING) that puts a bigger smile on my face, then when someone sends me an email telling me that my methods have helped them make money!

I recently (less then a week ago) posted about free local advertising tips a small local business could do to increase traffic to their website.  One reader in particular took me serious and started to implement the techniques immediately.   I got this email last night:

Hi Mat, just a quick note to let you know how thankful I am to you for sharing the information about local marketing.  It has only been a few days since I started to use the sites you provided and I am already getting phone calls, about 10 so far, and booking new clients because of a Yelp local review.  I asked a friend who has used my service before to write me a review, and it seems to be working so far, she already had an account there.  I can’t wait until I am able to do everything on the list.  Thanks again,  Lee

Lee, that is awesome to hear, and the real reason I do what I do – If this is not proof of how instant these local marketing tips could be working for you, then I don’t know what is?  I know online local marketing works, and there is power in the Internet.  I see it everyday. I love how it levels the playing field, and gives ordinary people the opportunity to become extra ordinary business owners.

If you have had success with local marketing and used other techniques then what I mentioned on my local marketing post, then please share them here in the comments – I would love to hear them.  There was several people who left comments on that post with other techniques and places to market locally.  Just last night I learned about some more amazing local advertising places that could help out your local marketing efforts from my good friend Janet who read the post, shared it with her readers, and decided to add her two cents.  I appreciate that!

Again, you don’t have to have a big budget to compete online if you know what you are doing with local marketing.  Between my original post, all the comments and other people blogging about this, there is plenty of local marketing opportunities to be had.  Just go get them!

UPDATE: Just got another pretty cool testimonial sent to me because of the local marketing post.  Check it out:

Mat, I just got a call from a guy who needs a pretty decent size site who found me on Yelp.  Pretty cool huh?  It’s all thanks to you!

Here is the main question I get asked:

“What can a small local business do for marketing online if they have no budget?”

Believe it or not, there is plenty a small local business owner can do for online marketing that costs very little, or is completely free. I want to share these local marketing options with you.

1. Google Local – One of the first things I do for any clients local marketing campagin, is to make sure and get the business listed on Google Local ASAP. This almost gurantees a first page ranking for your most targeted local keyword. For example, if you lived in Lindon Utah, and were looking for a preschool, you would probably more then likely type in “Lindon Utah Preschool” – when you get the results from Google you will see how there is a big list of local options to choose from. (see picture)

Google Local

It gives you a list of results that are in, or close to Lindon Utah, as well as a map that if you click on will give you exact driving directions and more business information. So it gives you the option to check out all the local spots near you. It is very simple to add your business to Google Local, and the approval process does not take that long – all that FREE and an instant ranking!. If you are a local businesses that does not have a website, you can still get a Google Local listing and get customers from it because you have your address, as well as your phone number listed.

In many cases getting a Google Local listing can help you get multiple listings for your local keywords. If you look at the example picture above – My Smart World, has a #1 local listing, as well as a #1 natural ranking. This just makes you look that more credible in the eyes of potential customers.

Reviews about your business on Google Local can also be written, and the more reviews you have written about your business, the better it is for you (as long as those reviews are positive). You can have people you know that have used the products and services, go in and write the reviews for you. Tell them to be honest as you never want to fake any of these kind of reviews. The number of reviews does not help where your local ad is placed, it just helps out your credibility.

Most people don’t realize how easy it is to get a listing through Google Local, or that it even exists. They just see the results, every once in a while on a search, and often wonder; “How do they get those results there?” To sign up its easy, just go to http://local.google.com and click on where it says; “put your business on Google Maps” (see picture below)

Add Your Business To Google Maps

Once you get this far, you will be required to log into your Google accounts and they will walk you through the rest. From my experience it usually only takes 2 – 3 weeks to get included on Google Local and Google Maps. From everyone who I hve helped get on Google Local, they have told me they almost immediatly knew when the listing kicked in because hits to their website, emails or phone calls to their business. Yes, getting on Google Maps is 100% free, it is just going to take you a little bit of time and energy to get signed up with them and thats all! It is a pretty cool way of seeing your business in a top spot without putting much marketing efforts into it!

2. Yelp – Yelp is a great local review site that will help you find just about anything in your local area that can be reviewed. Getting your site listed on Yelp, and getting people to write positive reviews about you will help increase its chances of being picked up on the search engines (more reviews = more content = happier search engines). Check out the user-generated (content) reviews, and the set up of Yelp:

Reviews On Yelp

Yelp listings ranks well, and has many trusted users and is a well policed community (from my use anyway), and that is why (in my opinion) the search engines like them so much. Just check out this search result when I look for “Color Me Smart” a Queen Creek Arizona based Preschool -

Color Me Smart Yelp Listing

The owner of the preschool does not even have a website, but since they have a review of them in Yelp, they are getting a first page Google ranking for their business. Think about this, if they list with Google Local and Yelp, they can start to dominate the rankings for their name, as well as local keywords with ease. Again, all 100% free, it just takes some time to get accounts and register your business.

Yelp listings can even help with your Reputation Management by gaining another very valuable spot in the SERPs. For every single one of my businesses, a Yelp listing appears in the first 10 results on Google.

3. Craigslist – If you have not at least heard of Craigslist by now, I wanna know where you have been locked up over the last several years? Craigslist is great for more then just selling your car with ease, it is a great site for placing classified ads for all kinds of businesses and business needs. if you own a house keeping service you can find your exact city and place an ad. You can post up to 3 times a day (with the same email address) although I do not advise spamming them with multiple accounts and multiple listings for the same business. It can come back to bite you!

To understand how Craigslist works, and how people use it to find service providers check this out: First you will go to Craigslist.org and select the State you are in (in this example; Arizona) Lets say we are doing this to post an ad for Phoenix House Cleaning -

Craigslist Classified Ads

Next you will pick the city that is closest to you: (in this case and example it is Phoenix)

Learning How To Use Craigslist

Then you will find this screen (see picture) and click the link that says “post to classifieds”

How to post your ad to Craigslist

Once you have done this, you can browse through the categories and find the proper place to list your ad. In this case if we are still taking about posting an ad for the service of house cleaning in Phoenix this would be the place you post – (see picture)

Finding the Right Place To List Your Ad

Then from here is where it will walk you through how to place your ad. I know its hard to believe but people really do use Craigslist. If you are brand new to the site, you may be scratching your head and saying, “Why does such an ugly site do so well?” It is because they have been around a long time, and have a huge following, and good rep with the search engines. Everything I have ever tried to sell, or ad to gain business has been successful. I can’t even say that much about eBay – I get charged by eBay to not sell anything … FAIL!

Again, this is another service tht is 100% free, but make sure to read the Craigslist terms of use and not abuse the system. Because the ads are time sensitive they do not last very long in the SERPs, but can rank well, and if you are always going in and making new ads you have even more chance of having them rank too, besides just the people that go directly to Craigslist.

4. Yahoo Local – The basic FREE local listing is very hard and confusing to find (IMO), and it would appear that Yahoo does not offer a free local listing, but they do. If you click on the link I provided it will take you right to the basic listing of Yahoo Local and it works pretty much the same as Google. If you look at the screenshot I provided below you will see how the listings work, and how they are very similar to Google -

Yahoo Local

You just fill out the information they ask for, and once you are accepted in and the database is updated you are good to go and can start to show up in all the same ways I have already explained.

5. USCity.net – USCity.net is a HUGE Internet business directory – It is not the kind of directory that is good for helping out search engine rankings by getting a listing, it is a local directory that is amazing for sending actual traffic to your site. They have such trust with the search engines that for a huge number of local searches they come up on top, and people will find you and click on you that way. For one of my sites about 15% of the daily traffic is sent to me from USCity.net

Here is a picture from a local search done – Arizona Mattress Store – and you will see the results, and how the USCITY.net page ranks in the top 5

USCITY.net Local Business Directory

These guys do have paid options for listings, (better placement of your ad) but they do have free listings. All of my listings are free and I still see really good traffic. Just follow their instructions for listing and its pretty easy and self explainatory – especially if you have ever listing wtih a web directory before!

These are the main top 5 that I recommend; however there are a few other free local marketing options that might work well, and I would suggest giving a shot. I am talking about the free classified ads through the local TV stations. Just watch your local news tonight, and wait for them to talk about their website. When they do, go log on and find the classified ads on the site and place your ads! I have never personally used these classified ads, but have talked with many who have, and rave about their success.

Obviously, there are so many options for free local marketing that works, and I know I have not listed everything here, but think this would be a great start for anyone looking to help improve their local business. If you guys know of any other great local (free) listings that work please let me know about them here in the comments and share with everyone!