• Search Engine Land
  • Sections
    • SEO
    • SEM
    • Local
    • Retail
    • Google
    • Bing
    • Social
    • Resources
    • More
    • Home
  • Search Engine Land
  • SEO
  • SEM
  • Local
  • Retail
  • Google
  • Bing
  • Social
  • Resources
  • Live
  • More
  • Events
  • SUBSCRIBE

Search Engine Land

Search Engine Land
  • SEO
  • SEM
  • Local
  • Retail
  • Google
  • Bing
  • Social
  • Resources
  • More
  • Newsletters
  • Home
Local

It’s All About Local Organic Domination

Lately I’ve been speaking with SEM experts about what small business owners should do to increase their online visibility. While opinions vary, most experts agree about the importance of ranking high on Google’s various organic search results. Listening to them explain what a local business can hope to achieve, I found that the language was […]

Hanan Lifshitz on July 2, 2009 at 6:31 am
  • More

Lately I’ve been speaking with SEM experts about what small business owners should do to increase their online visibility. While opinions vary, most experts agree about the importance of ranking high on Google’s various organic search results.

Listening to them explain what a local business can hope to achieve, I found that the language was hardly ever about being the “only winner” in a category, but rather being in the “leading group of search results”. This is consistent with the reality of search, where we are used to seeing multiple results in each page. Being “among” the 10-pack is often considered a great achievement, not to mention having your website or profile page appear in the first search results page (i.e. along 9 other links). In other words, in every category within a given market, there are usually a handful of winners who enjoy a good deal of online visibility.

And then, during a chat with Will Scott from Search Influence, I ran a Google search for “New Orleans Chiropractor” which brought up this page:

new orleans chiro

What I found striking about these results were several things:

  1. There was just one “one box” result (not a 10 or 3 pack), dominated by a Dr. Dubois.
  2. Above the one box, there was no typical “Local business results for…” link that usually takes the user to a list of other chiropractors.
  3. The first organic search result below the one box belongs to the same Dr. Dubois.
  4. The following (indented) link is from a page on Dr. Dubois’ site.
  5. While the next link (already mostly below the fold) directs to a different chiropractor (Dr. Thompson), a quick investigation shows that he and Dr. Dubois share the same phone number and are probably affiliated.
  6. Most of the remaining links on the first page are directory sites, but even there, Dr. Dubois managed to dominate a couple (e.g. on InsiderPages).

While this is no LA, I should note that there is no shortage of New Orleans chiropractors in Google’s database – you can find hundreds of them if you run the same query on Google Maps:

new orleads chiro - maps

There is no need to expound the benefits of such an overarching domination of the search results. Consumers using these keywords on Google would be hard pressed to find other chiropractors in New Orleans, and the impact on both Dr. Dubois’ business as well as on his competitors is probably significant.

As far as I can tell, Will’s work in this case was a mix of some good old fashioned SEO and a not too competitive landscape. But the end result shows just how much this industry can do for those SMBs who are ready to take advantage of the opportunities presented by local online search.

(I should note that I am not affiliated with Will or with Search Influence in any way.)


Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.



About The Author

Hanan Lifshitz

Related Topics

Channel: Local

We're listening.

Have something to say about this article? Share it with us on Facebook, Twitter or our LinkedIn Group.

Get the daily newsletter search marketers rely on.

Processing...Please wait.

See terms.

ATTEND OUR EVENTS

Lorem ipsum doler this is promo text about SMX events.

Available On-Demand: SMX Create

May 18-19, 2021: SMX London

June 8-9, 2021: SMX Paris

June 15-16, 2021: SMX Advanced

June 21-22, 2021: SMX Advanced Europe

August 17, 2021: SMX Convert

November 9-10, 2021: SMX Next

December 14, 2021: SMX Code

Available On-Demand: SMX

Available On-Demand: SMX Report

×


Learn More About Our SMX Events

Discover actionable tactics that can help you overcome crucial marketing challenges. Our next conference will be held:

Next Event: Sept. 14-15, 2021

Available On-Demand: March 2021

Available On-Demand: October 2020

×

Attend MarTech - Click Here


Learn More About Our MarTech Events

White Papers

  • Gartner Magic Quadrant for Digital Experience Platforms
  • Selecting a Customer Data Platform For Your Organization: The 2020 Gartner Market Guide
  • The Complete Guide to Web Core Vitals
  • The New Era of Automation in SEO
  • Nielsen Annual Marketing Report: Era of Adaptation
See More Whitepapers

Webinars

  • Drive Customer Engagement with the Power of Personalization
  • 7 Use Cases That Prove Why You Should Implement DAM
  • Accelerate Your SEO & Content Marketing Program with 4 Key Milestones
See More Webinars

Research Reports

  • Local Marketing Solutions for Multi-Location Businesses
  • Enterprise Digital Asset Management Platforms
  • Identity Resolution Platforms
  • Customer Data Platforms
  • B2B Marketing Automation Platforms
  • Call Analytics Platforms
See More Research

Attend SMX For Only $199

h
Receive daily search news and analysis.

Channels

  • SEO
  • SEM
  • Local
  • Retail
  • Google
  • Bing
  • Social

Our Events

  • SMX
  • MarTech

Resources

  • White Papers
  • Research
  • Webinars

About

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Marketing Opportunities
  • Staff

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Newsletters
  • RSS
  • Youtube

© 2021 Third Door Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

Your privacy means the world to us. We share your personal information only when you give us explicit permission to do so, and confirm we have your permission each time. Learn more by viewing our privacy policy.Ok