Where is the local advertising space headed? How will local marketers succeed in an increasingly fast-changing and competitive marketplace? At the Local Search Association‘s 2014 annual conference (#LSA14) last month in Huntington Beach, California, hundreds of local advertising leaders gathered to explore what’s next in local and the steps that both local providers and advertisers […]
Conventional wisdom tells us that younger generations trump older generations in their use of mobile devices during the local purchasing process. While teenagers use their smartphones at every opportunity to find local businesses, read reviews and scan deals, their parents and grandparents rarely rely on their devices to take advantage of what is increasingly available […]
For the growing number of consumers who rely on their mobile devices to search for local business information, their focus is on making a purchase — and fast. The latest Google/Nielsen “Mobile Path to Purchase” study, released last week, shows that consumers who use their mobile devices to find and research local products and services […]
Earlier this month, local search marketing leaders from the U.S., Canada and 12 other countries gathered in Las Vegas for the Local Search Association’s 2013 annual conference, “Search Starts Here.” Over several days, attendees engaged in informative discussions about the numerous opportunities and challenges facing our industry, ranging from the growing importance of original digital […]
Last month, D.C. contractor Dietz Development made news when it filed a $750,000 Internet defamation lawsuit against its former customer, Jane Perez, for negative reviews she posted on Yelp and Angie’s List regarding renovation work at her home. The company claimed the reviews, which alleged that Dietz did not complete its work and stole jewelry […]
Over the course of four jam-packed days last month, local search professionals from across the country and around the world gathered in Las Vegas for the inaugural Local Search Association annual conference, “Search Starts Here.” As the theme suggests, the goal of this year’s conference was to explore how local search companies are leveraging new […]
At the end of last year, I predicted that mobile would drive local search growth in 2010. With smartphone use on the rise—specifically among iPhone, BlackBerry and Android-powered devices. I was confident that local search providers and advertisers would increasingly embrace opportunities in the space. Already, various players in the local search industry, including SuperMedia’s […]
These days, local marketing can seem a lot more complicated to the average small business owner than it used to be—and for very good reason. With advances in digital offerings, small businesses are now confronted with a growing range of possibilities for their ad dollars. Moreover, owners are faced with the harder task of determining […]
To many of us, 2009 couldn’t end soon enough. But today we have fresh optimism about what’s in store for 2010. I sense a cautious sense of hope with everyone I’ve spoken with that the prospects for next year are stronger for local search providers and our advertisers.
Depending on whom you ask, the search industry is either reaching a tipping point, or it has already passed it. Online search is an unstoppable force, and there is no doubt that the platform for delivering results has changed and will continue to evolve as local search improves. The author who helped make the phrase […]
Challenges are certain, but we’ll prosper by focusing on strengths and available opportunities The one thing that’s certain about 2009 is that it’s loaded with uncertainty. For local search providers, radical changes in the global marketplace present a whole new wave of issues, compounding the challenges already impacting a sector in transition. But, as the […]
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 on the Yellow Pages industry’s experience, […]
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 attempt to force Microsoft to increase […]