Local Search provides the latest news and information about the growing segment of local search marketing, including tips on how to take advantage of local directory providers and online yellow page listings, mapping tools and location based services to help users uncover real-world merchants, franchise locations, locally owned small businesses and community places. Columnists cover geo-targeting, zip code and map data being used by searchers and search engines to provide locally relevant results.

Sign Up To Receive This Column Via Email:

5 Local Linkbuilding Ideas For The Post-Penguin/Panda Era

May 14, 2012 at 11:34am ET by Andrew Shotland

I have been fielding a lot of calls from sites big and small that believe they got hit by Penguin, Google's "over-optimization" algorithm. Or maybe it was Panda? Who knows? Traffic is down and everybody is freaking out. I have a particular soft spot in my heart for the small, local businesses that have been hit, in many cases because they bought into someone's spammy linkbuilding scheme. I have had a few discussions with other SEOs who are attempting to take down clients' spammy looking links, and while that might be effective, the ROI on finding and getting all of those links delete [...]

Related Topics: Featured | Link Building | Local Search

Local Consumer Review Survey 2012 – Part 2

May 7, 2012 at 12:30pm ET by Myles Anderson

In March, we published the findings of Part 1 of the Local Consumer Review Survey 2012. Part 1 dealt with the consumption of online reviews and the influence they have on consumer behavior & purchase of local business services. You can view the key findings and analysis here on Search Engine Land. About The Local Consumer Review Survey 2012 This online survey was conducted between 15th January – 1st March 2012. A set of 18 questions were put to a survey panel of 4,500 local consumers located in US, Canada and UK. We received 2,862 respondents. This is the 2nd wave of the Local Co [...]

Related Topics: Local Search

Five Key Learnings From A Local Marketing Success Story

Apr 30, 2012 at 1:46pm ET by Stephanie Hobbs

One of our most compelling speakers at the 2012 Local Search Association annual conference was Mary Boysman, VP Brand Marketing and Advertising at Aspen Dental, a fast-growing, multi-market health care provider. Speaking to a crowd of local search leaders from around the world, Boysman described in detail how she and her team developed a comprehensive strategy that drove meaningful local leads for her business and elicited support from the highest levels of her organization. The presentation left the group buzzing because it outlined the type of innovative and integrated local marketing [...]

Related Topics: Local Search

5 “Local” Search Engines You Should Be Targeting

Apr 23, 2012 at 1:34pm ET by Chris Silver Smith

We usually hyperfocus on Google Place search and Maps results, since they have such large market share. But there are good reasons for local businesses to be concerned with ranking elsewhere as well. So, here are a few other local search engines to consider, and a few tips for ranking effectively in their results. It's not surprising that many businesses focus mainly on ranking well in Google's local results, but working to rank well in some other search properties often has the benefit of helping to augment one's rankings in Google, too. Ranking well in directories can give your listing [...]

Related Topics: Local Search

Four Key Reasons To Reconsider Today’s Yellow Pages For Local Marketing

Apr 2, 2012 at 4:25pm ET by Stephanie Hobbs

Last week in this column, Chris Silver Smith shared a thoughtful take on the state of Yellow Pages print and online offerings and whether they are worth the investment to local businesses. I applaud Chris for providing an in-depth overview of trends in the industry, and want to offer some additional thoughts and context for readers to consider when making a decision about using Yellow Pages products. Without a doubt, the Yellow Pages space is in a state of transformation. Research has found that fewer people are using print directories in both numbers and frequency than they have previously [...]

Related Topics: Local Search

Become a PRO member and see all articles in our Local Search archives!

PRO Members get unrestricted access to all archives - and more!

Get Our News, Everywhere!

Follow @sengineland

Got a tip? Tell us here!

Most Likes
Most Tweets
Comments

Our Stories Being Liked on Facebook

Search Engine Land Sponsors

Advertise With Us

Free Daily Search News Recap!

SearchCap is a once-per-day newsletter update - sign up below and get the news delivered to you!

Click to watch SMX conference video

Join us at an upcoming SMX event:

North America

SMX Advanced - June 5-6, 2012
SMX East - Oct. 2-4, 2012
SMX Social Media Marketing - Dec. 5-6, 2012
SMX Toronto - April 2013

EMEA

SMX Paris - June 7-8 2012
SMX Stockholm - Oct. 15-16, 2012
SMX Munich - Apr. 9-10, 2013
SMX London - May 2013

APAC

SMX Melbourne - Sept. 5-6, 2012
SMX Sydney - May 2013

Search Engine Land produces SMX, the Search Marketing Expo conference series. SMX events deliver the most comprehensive educational and networking experiences - whether you're just starting in search marketing or you're a seasoned expert.