Local Search Engine Marketing

Have you started using local search to capture leads and business yet? If not, you should give it very serious consideration. Local search engine marketing is the hottest new trend that has Google and Yahoo scrambling to capture market shares. In fact, a whole new segment of marketers have sprung up to get in on the ground floor.

Granted, this has been coming for the past few years, but it has become a serious target market of late. The big three search engines are adding features and improving their local search capabilities to accommodate this growing trend. Google seems to be leading the pack, with Yahoo close on its heels. MSN is lagging behind by all accounts.

Regardless of who you decide to start with, just start. You’ll need to be able to supply a physical address, so if you work from home you may want to give that part some thought. For optimum results, be sure to include some really good SEO friendly content in your listing and Adwords.

Now, I’ve assumed that everyone reading this is already aware of what local searches are. Just in case you’re not I’ll give you the short and sweet description. When you do an internet search, you type what you’re looking for into your browser window. Pages of results come up for websites from around the globe. Local search works the same, except when a customer uses a local search engine, they are shown listings of businesses from their area only. The information that comes up includes the contact information, reviews, hours of operation, map and directions, and any coupons the company is offering. It keeps people shopping in their communities and provides businesses with an opportunity to capture those leads and sales. Advertising revenue from Adword campaigns is an additional benefit.

Like I said before, this advertising revolution has birthed a new industry of local search engine marketers. Their role is to help businesses capture as much of their local market as humanly possible, manage your ad campaigns and track the results. If you’re adept at such things, you can do it yourself. If you want some professional help, at least in the beginning, I can vouch for Edward Haskins company, Bayview Marketing. I know for a fact that Ed is experienced in this medium and I trust him. I’m sure there are others, but I don’t know them personally, so don’t feel I can comment on their services.

Please think about adding local search engine marketing to your business’ game plan. If people don’t find you in their search results, they’ll find your competitors. Do you really want to hand over customers that way?

This contribution is courtesy of Shirley Anderson.

How many times have we heard this? Last night we caught the end-bit of the Dateline episode “Catch an ID Thief”. One of the people they were focusing on said to the reporter (disguised)…”did you see the episode of that tv show where they caught those men chatting-up young girls on the internet and then getting caught (on tv) going to meet these girls at the homes”

I was in tears with laughter since this guy had no idea that he was actually speaking to the people from the same “tv show” Dateline. However the more we watched the clip we started to feel sorry for the fella. Turned out he had no clue he was being used by these ID thieves… he even confessed that he lost all his money in the process as well.

Good Read…. think it was the Wall Street Journal that ran a piece a while back about ATM machines and debit cards… take a read here: Skimming Devices Target Debit-Card Readers

It’s “work from home Wednesday” …  today I’ll like to speak at bit about staying connected. The internet is the fuel behind this entire telecommuting revolution, since it’s made it so simple to keep in contact with the outside business world.

As a home user, you can choose from four Internet access options:

•  DSL: DSL stands for digital subscriber line. It uses ordinary telephone lines and a special modem to provide an Internet connection that can transmit high-bandwidth information to a user’s computer. A DSL line can carry both data and voice signals. The data part of the line is a dedicated connection to the Internet and does not interfere with use of the telephone. DSL is high speed and is always connected to the Internet.

• Cable Internet: Cable Internet uses your local cable TV line to receive broadband Internet content. This data rate far exceeds that of modems and is about the same as DSL. Your local TV cable company is typically the cable Internet service provider.

• Dial-up access: This may be the best option if you are on a tight budget. Dial-up access uses a modem and a telephone line to connect to the Internet. The drawbacks of using this option are that data is typically transmitted at a slow rate and it blocks the telephone line.

• Satellite Internet: If cable or DSL aren’t available in your area, or if the slow dial-up access speeds are not acceptable, consider using satellite internet. It’s available to you if you live in the Northern Hemisphere and have an unobstructed view of the southern sky. The service is expensive and the data rate is not as fast as a direct line, but it is a good connectivity alternative if you live in an isolated location.