If you’ve followed headlines about the online deals space over the past year, you might wonder if the phenomenon has lost its appeal.
In our monthly Locals Only column on Search Engine Land, I discuss that while the industry is facing challenges, both local businesses and consumers continue to see promise in the medium. I lay out 10 key questions that local businesses should consider when deciding whether an online deal makes sense for them.
In our monthly Locals Only column on Search Engine Land, I discuss new features recently announced by Facebook and Foursquare that will drastically change the ways local businesses leverage the social networks to build customer loyalty and drive new sales.
The new offerings, which include the introduction of Graph Search by Facebook and greater business access to customer information on Foursquare, will provide local businesses with new opportunities as well as challenges. In the column, I overview both changes and outline tips for how local businesses can and should adapt.
I recently came across an interesting story about a D.C. contractor that filed a $750,000 Internet defamation lawsuit against a former customer for negative reviews she posted on Yelp and Angie’s List.
The case, which has made national headlines, raises important questions about how local businesses can and should respond when they feel they are unfairly targeted by negative reviews. As we all know, these reviews are playing an increasingly critical role in how consumers select local businesses.
In our monthly Locals Only column on Search Engine Land, I argue that the damage of negative reviews on a business’ reputation cannot be amended through litigation. I believe the long-term consequences of the D.C. contractor’s proactive legal response will be much more troublesome than if the business took a more measured approach focused on addressing its customer’s concerns.
Read the column for my full take on the case, as well as my five suggested steps to successfully navigating negative online reviews.
In my Locals Only column posted today on Search Engine Land, I shared 7 key takeaways from BIA/Kelsey’s jam-packed ILM West conference last week in Los Angeles.
As we head into 2013, local businesses have some important trends to consider when developing their marketing plans. The ways in which consumers are both searching and finding local businesses are rapidly changing, and local businesses and marketers are quickly adapting to take advantage of new opportunities to drive business in the door.
In my monthly column on Search Engine Land, I discuss the results of an interesting new national survey sponsored by YP entitled “How Consumers Are Using Local Search.”
The survey, which was conducted by immr and Street Fight, asked 1,100 respondents questions about how they search and what they search for across 11 business categories. As I discuss in my column, the survey responses both enhance our understanding of local search behavior and confirm our conviction that small businesses benefit from implementing dynamic and comprehensive local advertising strategies.
My five key takeaways from the study include:
Check out the full survey results in my column on Search Engine Land.
In my Local Search column on Search Engine Land this month, I talk about the importance of educating local SMBs about integrating mobile into their marketing strategies.
While attending BIA/Kelsey’s SMB Digital Marketing 2012 Conference in Chicago last month, I was surprised by the results of a recent LCM study, which showed that only 20 percent of local businesses said they have experience with mobile marketing.
As those in our industry know so well, the number of consumers searching for local information on their mobile devices is growing by leaps and bounds. Local businesses need to learn about the basic concepts of local mobile advertising and its potential.
I read an interesting post from Sherwood Stranieri over at Search Engine Land this week on mobile local search. Recent findings point to a rapidly increasing number of mobile searches in the restaurant category and it looks like mobile search may surpass desktop search in this category very soon.
In the last few months, there’s increasing evidence that mobile search activity for restaurants is growing by leaps and bounds. Consider the following:
- Yelp recently shared that mobile usage now accounts for 40% of their activity, up from 27% in 2010.
- According Groupon’s CEO, 30% of all transactions on Groupon’s platform are now attributed to mobile device use, and those usage levels have tripled in just one year.
Given these trends, it’s very likely that we’ll see restaurant search hit the tipping point in the next 12 months, with more mobile-based activity than desktop-based.
As you’ll recall from earlier this summer, YP, in their quarterly Local Insights Report, also found that the restaurant category was the most searched on mobile.
Take a look at Sherwood’s full article for more on mobile search and tips on how restaurants can get prepared to stay ahead of the curve.
In my Local Search column on Search Engine Land this month, I discuss Yahoo’s recent appointment of Marissa Mayer as its new president and CEO, and the opportunities that presents for local businesses should she decide to focus on reinventing the company’s once dominant local search platform, Yahoo! Local.
Mayer, who previously served as the Google executive in charge of local, maps and location services, lives and breathes local. She is also an expert in creating innovative user experiences in the space. I argue that if Mayer makes local a priority at Google – which still commands one of the largest audiences on the Web with 700 million monthly users – that local businesses will have yet another platform to actively consider for local advertising.
In my piece, I overview what Yahoo! Local looks like today and provide some thoughts on where Mayer might take the platform next. Click here to reach the full column.
In our monthly Local Search column on Search Engine Land, I discuss the intensifying battle for control of the local search space, as evidenced by the announcements of Apple’s new Maps feature and Google+ Local.
As we know, these announcements have sparked great interest: not only in what the moves mean for the industry, the companies themselves and the consumers who use these offerings everyday, but also in how they will impact local businesses that increasingly count on these tools to drive visibility and ultimately sales.
While many questions remain about how these developments will play out, I outline some key takeaways and next steps that local businesses should explore so that they’re prepared for the new realities presented by these changes.
This month, in our column for Search Engine Land, I touched on how new social networking site, Pinterest, could become an asset for small businesses.
The quickly growing platform allows users to find, share, and scrapbook images and videos they enjoy with usage rates second only to Facebook. Now, national brands like Coca-Cola and Neiman Marcus are using Pinterest to draw in customers as well as an increasing number of small and local businesses.
Take a moment to read my column on how local businesses can generate sales and build affinity through Pinterest. And if you’re on Pinterest, please leave a comment on our blog telling us how you think this will impact small businesses.
In our monthly Local Search column on Search Engine Land, I shared my key takeaways from the compelling presentation by Mary Boysman, VP Brand Marketing and Advertising at Aspen Dental, at our annual conference last week.
As those of you in attendance saw first-hand, Boysman described in detail how she and her team developed a comprehensive strategy that drives meaningful local leads for her business and has elicited support from the highest levels of her organization.
Take a few minutes to read my column about the Boysman’s recommendations on how to create a powerhouse marketing organization.
Last year, results from our “Local Media Tracking Study” conducted by Burke showed that consumers consider Yellow Pages listings the most accurate when compared to other local search media. Now a new listings accuracy test conducted by Denver-based Implied Intelligence confirms what consumers have said along.
According to an article by Greg Sterling on Search Engine Land, Implied Intelligence hand-checked 1,000 independent, U.S.-based local business websites and compared the information it captured to data on major local search websites including Bing Maps, Citysearch, DexKnows, Foursquare, SuperPages, YP.com and others. Each site was scored on whether it listed the business, contained duplicates, included accurate information, and the amount of additional content it incorporated (e.g., content beyond business name, phone number, etc.).
As the chart above indicates, Internet Yellow Pages websites YP.com and SuperPages beat out Google and other local sites when it came to listing duplicates and phone and address errors.
Additionally, YP.com beat out Google and other local sites when measuring the amount of additional information incorporated in a listing, including the business URL, hours of operation, and other helpful background.
When measured collectively, both SuperPages and YP.com bested Google Maps and other local sites on all accuracy measures.
I think this study reinforces our belief that local businesses and consumers benefit from the unmatched accuracy of Yellow Pages listings. The high quality of Yellow Pages listings has been recognized within the local search industry itself, as various search engines and local sites have entered into agreements with Yellow Pages companies to incorporate and supplement their listings. I’m glad to see that as we move into the online and mobile space, Yellow Pages providers are continuing to lead the field in this important measure.
In our Local Search column on Search Engine Land this month, I discuss four key reasons why local businesses should not overlook Yellow Pages when determining their marketing plans.
Today’s Yellow Pages providers offer a strong portfolio of new offerings including websites, mobile apps, SEO and search services; maintain a good understanding of local businesses’ needs based on years of experience; partner behind the scenes with search engines and other local sites; and maintain valuable print offerings.
As I discussed in my Search Engine Land column last week, growing consumer use of mobile as part of the local search experience is making it increasingly critical for local businesses to build out their mobile strategies. One area I talked about in particular was the opportunity to engage consumers via mobile apps, which are now used by nearly half (49%) of mobile users, according to a new study released by Localeze and 15miles.
Launched this morning at the SXSW conference in Austin, App Express is a new tool that will help local businesses easily and effectively engage customers through mobile apps. This affordable, do-it-yourself app-building service allows businesses to create apps with a variety of robust features, including payments, appointment scheduling, messaging and marketing with coupons, deals and social sharing.
According to the release, App Express can benefit a variety of businesses, including service-based companies, local-based services, high-value vertical industry businesses and retailers. I look forward to seeing and experiencing local business apps created through this unique offering.
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