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.
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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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?...
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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...
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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...
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Jan. 21, 2008 at 7:58am by Stephanie Hobbs
Welcome To The Local Search Jungle
Welcome to the jungle. As the first column from the Yellow Pages Association and the Local Search Guide, it is very exciting to join the Locals Only forum with some of the most notable local search contributors in the industry. Representing more than 150 Yellow Pages publishers, we are...
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Jan. 14, 2008 at 12:47pm by Chris Silver Smith
20 Awesome Images Found In Google Maps
The introduction of satellite images into map search interfaces has excited both virtual sightseers and local app developers. Further innovations like Google's Street View have caused consternation from privacy advocates while further pumping up the buzz about online mapping. In 2008, we can expect further innovations that stretch the...
See Related Stories In: Google: Maps & Local, Locals Only
Jan. 7, 2008 at 8:40am by Greg Sterling
What Does 2008 Have In Store For Local?
Many people I speak to still ask the familiar question, "Is this going to be the breakout year for local?" while expressing frustration or disappointment that "local hasn't yet lived up to expectations." But local is a marathon, not a sprint. It's also more complex than the general search...
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Dec. 17, 2007 at 8:18am by Chris Silver Smith
Anatomy & Optimization Of A Local Business Profile
Many local companies depend upon their information's presence in various directories in order to advertise themselves, and the basic instrument of these marketing efforts is the Business Profile. The majority of businesses out there pay little attention to these beyond wanting their name, address, and phone numbers to be...
See Related Stories In: Locals Only, Search Marketing: Local Search Marketing
Dec. 11, 2007 at 7:55am by Greg Sterling
SEL Mobile User Survey: 47 Percent Access Mobile Internet "More Than Once A Week"
Several weeks ago, I asked readers to take a quick mobile user survey to get a snapshot of mobile search usage among Search Engine Land readers. It was a brief survey that sought only high-level information. We had 75 people respond to the survey, which I've presented in its...
See Related Stories In: Locals Only, Search Engines: Mobile Search Engines, Stats: General, Stats: Search Behavior
Dec. 3, 2007 at 8:25am by Chris Linnett
Coining A New Day: Local Tuesday
Every year, at this time of year, economic analysts, pundits, and the media pore over the fresh-from-the-till economic data to gauge how Black Friday turned out, as it is the traditional starting point for the holiday shopping season. After all, who can ignore the compelling news visuals of shoppers...
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Nov. 26, 2007 at 7:35am by Chris Silver Smith
Internet Yellow Pages: Worth The Effort?
Here at the end of 2007, it's painfully obvious that the local search advertising market remains highly fragmented. Numerous local search experts attending the recent SMX Local & Mobile Conference reiterated the observation that businesses seeking to target local audiences have a plethora of options, and identifying and selecting...
