Columns > Locals Only
Locals
Only covers
local search, mapping, online yellow pages and other
sites that help searchers pinpoint real-world merchants,
service providers and other location-based entities.
Columnists look at both using local search services and how
search marketers can take advantage of
local search marketing opportunities to reach a unique
audience. The Locals Only column appears Mondays at Search
Engine Land.
To get this column via email or feed, visit our columns page.
Aug. 18, 2008 at 6:12pm by Steve Espinosa
Optimizing Google OneBox and Yahoo! Shortcut Local Listings
If you have a site you want to optimize for local searches, you generally want the site to appear in the web search local listing (Google Onebox or Yahoo! shortcut). Creating a page for your local listing could be a determining factor in your listing's appearance. Below, an easy...
See Related Stories In: Locals Only
Aug. 12, 2008 at 12:46am by John Keister
Can Newspapers Be Saved?
Have you noticed the number of layoffs being announced by newspapers of late? When the New York Times announced in February 2008 that they were cutting 100 positions from their newsroom, it was a sad moment. A prominent national paper that informs our opinion and dialogue was announcing a...
See Related Stories In: Locals Only
Aug. 4, 2008 at 2:30pm by Larry Small
Is An Online vs. Offline Local Search All That Different? Yes And No
Local search is a term that describes more than just Internet Yellow Pages (IYP) and local search engine searches. It also includes offline searches for local businesses. The type of local search consumers use depends on their degree of need. When comparing the top 10 IYP and print Yellow...
See Related Stories In: Locals Only
Jul. 28, 2008 at 3:51pm by Chris Silver Smith
Yellow Pages Usage Stats Are Likely Wrong
I was reviewing print yellow pages book usage statistics this week, in preparation for the SMX Local & Mobile conference, and I was struck once again by the large numbers that the Yellow Pages Association (YPA) touts in their press releases and research papers. I've had some individuals at...
See Related Stories In: Locals Only
Jun. 10, 2008 at 1:27pm by Brian Gulledge
Smooth Sailing Through The Rough Waters Of A Down Economy
Economic waves rise and fall and Internet retailers are as vulnerable to capsizing as any business. Why do some local businesses seem to ride it out more easily than others? What can you do to help your business stick around until the next break in the storm? Here are...
See Related Stories In: Locals Only
May. 28, 2008 at 2:06pm by Chris Silver Smith
Cool Sights In Google Street View
The Street View feature in Google Maps has caused a flurry of attention from people ranging from privacy advocates to voyeurs to legislators. The ability to pan around browsing photos shot along streets seems fun and compelling, though it's also raised all sorts of issues and controversy as our...
See Related Stories In: Google: Maps & Local, Legal: Privacy, Locals Only, Search & Society: General
May. 12, 2008 at 11:00am by Neg Norton
Small, Local Businesses Taking Economic Downturn In Stride
The economic downturn is a reality, but the specific ways that it affects businesses run the gamut based on the size and type of business. During these times, small, local businesses often feel the pinch more quickly and sharply, causing some to take evasive maneuvers to keep afloat. Based...
See Related Stories In: Locals Only
May. 5, 2008 at 12:00pm by Chris Silver Smith
Use Universal Search To Leapfrog Local Rankings
Most locally-oriented sites focus their natural search optimization efforts on the big cities of the world — metros like New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Yet there is a lot of traffic to be found in the long tail of search queries involving the many tens of thousands of...
See Related Stories In: Locals Only, SEO: Local
Apr. 14, 2008 at 12:34pm by Larry Small
Multiplatform Yellow Pages Usage On the Rise
Having just wrapped up one of our most successful Yellow Pages Association annual conferences, one thing is clear: Our industry has been able to navigate all types of business climates and has evolved to meet current and future market needs. Recent data from the 2008 Yellow Pages Association Industry...
See Related Stories In: Locals Only
Apr. 7, 2008 at 6:06pm by Chris Silver Smith
Top Causes Of Errors In Online Mapping Systems
Two years ago, my brother was getting married, and he had asked me to help design his invitations and the maps showing how to get from the church to the restaurant where we were holding the rehearsal dinner. I used to be a professional cartographer, so making a map...
See Related Stories In: Locals Only
Mar. 31, 2008 at 6:04am by Greg Sterling
Local Store And Inventory Data Poised To Transform "Online Shopping"
The neglected part of the local story is about products. Often local search is discussed exclusively in terms of finding service businesses or small businesses in one's own area. But an equally important, if less obvious, part of the "local search" phenomenon is shopping in the more traditional sense....
See Related Stories In: Locals Only, Search Marketing: Local Search Marketing, Stats: Search Behavior
Mar. 24, 2008 at 12:22pm by Chris Linnett
I Go Buy With A Little Help From My Friends
My family was recently in Boulder, CO—a place we had hitherto not been. Nice town, but where to go? We spent most of our time at The Spot rock climbing gym because our kids were competing in the bouldering national championships. After a day of intense heart-stopping competition, with...
See Related Stories In: Locals Only
Mar. 17, 2008 at 2:14pm by Stephanie Hobbs
Local Mobile Search Takes Center Stage As Next-Generation Format Of Yellow Pages: Industry Panel Weighs In
The importance of valuable mobile content and services is undeniable—just observe the sea of people talking, text messaging, and searching on mobile devices in nearly every personal and business setting these days. What remains to be seen, however, is which local mobile services and companies will rise to the...
See Related Stories In: Locals Only
Mar. 11, 2008 at 10:42am by Chris Silver Smith
Optimize Local Events With hCalendar Microformat
I've run across a number of local business sites which offer event calendars of some sort, and many of these companies may not be aware that they can and should add hCalendar Microformat to their pages to further optimize them for both search and user experience. I've previously recommended...
See Related Stories In: Locals Only, Search Marketing: Local Search Marketing
Mar. 3, 2008 at 8:47am by Greg Sterling
Mobile 411: A Leading Indicator For Mobile Search
There are roughly 250 million cell phone users in the United States and more than ten times that figure around the globe. Approximately 42 million (or so) people use the "mobile Internet" in the US, with varying degrees of frequency. The number of people texting constitutes at least 100...
See Related Stories In: Locals Only, Search Engines: Maps & Local Search Engines, Stats: General
Feb. 28, 2008 at 1:00pm by Chris Linnett
Local Business Listings: Dealing with Negative Reviews
Last month, I wrote about Why Local Businesses Should Be Like the Jerk, which examined the basics associated with businesses being listed in local listings and results. Now I want to take a look at the logical next consideration: How can businesses respond when they receive less-than-favorable reviews?...
See Related Stories In: Locals Only
Feb. 18, 2008 at 8:12am by Neg Norton
Micro-hoo, AOL-hoo, Goog-hoo: The Internet Yellow Pages Perspective
Over the past few weeks, and for many more to come, there will be a lot of debate about search engine consolidation. Today, the talk du jour is a Yahoo and News Corp. deal, a potential integration with MySpace, and whether the talk is a real option or an...
See Related Stories In: Locals Only
Feb. 12, 2008 at 10:55am by Eric Ward
LinkSpotting - Headlines That Lead To Links and Why
My last column, When Linking Experts Go Underground, elicited some interesting responses, and a private email with the following awesome request: OK Eric - if you really follow hundreds of SEM news sources every day, you are seeing literally thousands of headlines every week. How do you spot the...
See Related Stories In: Google: Maps & Local, Google: Partnerships, Link Building, Link Building: General, Link Week, Locals Only, Search Marketing: Local Search Marketing, Strictly Business
Feb. 11, 2008 at 7:00am by Chris Silver Smith
How To Get On Google Maps Without An Address
One of the top issues in delivering up local search results in a map-based format is what to do with businesses which have no street address. During the SMX Local & Mobile conference back in October, Dick Larkin asked Google Earth VP Michael Jones a question about this very...
See Related Stories In: Google: Maps & Local, Locals Only, SEO: Local, Search Marketing: Local Search Marketing
Feb. 4, 2008 at 8:17am by Greg Sterling
A Local Look At Microsoft's Bid For Yahoo
Last Friday, shortly after the Microsoft bid for Yahoo was made public, Danny and I had an opportunity to discuss the proposed acquisition with Yusuf Mehdi, senior vice president of strategic partnerships for Microsoft. Our questions to Mehdi often returned to post-acquisition "integration" issues. I brought up local, maps,...
See Related Stories In: Locals Only, Microsoft & Yahoo Merger, Microsoft: Business Issues, Microsoft: Live Search Local, Microsoft: Tellme, Yahoo: Business Issues, Yahoo: Maps & Local
Jan. 28, 2008 at 7:01am by Chris Linnett
Why Local Businesses Should Be Like The Jerk
“The new phone book’s here! The new phone book’s here!” Steve Martin’s character in the movie The Jerk is ecstatic. He rifles through the pages and finds his name. “I'm somebody now! Millions of people look at this book everyday!” He knows the importance of being listed. “This is...
