Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Google Showing Four Top AdWords Ads, Top One Google Mortgage Ad When I search for [mortgage rates] in Google, I am presented with dozens of Google AdWords ads on the search […]
Since the beginning of the year, many of us have predicted that mobile will be the top driving force behind local search growth in 2010. A rapidly-increasing number of smartphone users — combined with faster mobile technology, better search offerings, and higher advertiser engagement — suggests that consumers will be more likely than ever to […]
In today’s changing media environment, local businesses are looking for new ways to reach the consumer. In addition to placing ads in traditional outlets like the print Yellow Pages—which still have significant consumer reach—local businesses are increasingly adding websites and social networking pages, online videos, iPhone and iPad apps and other popular advertising tools to […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Source: Google Ending AdWords Reseller Program (For Now) Following rumors over the past week or so that Google was shutting down its local AdWords reseller program, I’ve received two separate confirmations […]
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 […]
In my role as president at GetListed.org, I sometimes receive emails from users asking why one local search engine or another is displaying an old location for their business, or why the search engines still aren’t showing their new website address, or why the phone number listed for their retail location is actually the one […]
Not to beat a dead horse, but as I said in my last column, I think 2009 was truly a watershed year for local search. Between Google’s introduction of the generic 10-pack, its beta test of local listing ads, dramatic improvements to Bing’s Local Listing Center, and numerous partnerships throughout the industry— all of these […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Google News Fast Flip Featured Topless Playboy Model This morning I reported that Google was showing a topless Playboy model on the new Fast Flip portion of Google News. It seems […]
A new year offers new opportunities for local search providers and small business customers to reevaluate their advertising strategies to reflect the latest consumer usage trends and economic realities. On December 31st, Yellow Pages directory publisher Idearc emerged from bankruptcy with a new name, SuperMedia, and a fresh understanding that new initiatives in the online […]
While analysts and practitioners have been prognosticating the imminent arrival of local search for the last several years, 2009 was finally the year that proved us right. A number of innovations and developments in mobile search, such as the widespread adoption of the iPhone, the release of Android, and a burgeoning number of location-based apps […]
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.
The courtship of social networking and local search will result in a marriage that diversifies the mix of sales tools and empowers circles of families, friends, co-workers and organizations to share experiences and opinions in the local search space. For a number of years, consumers have had a collective, powerful online voice through ratings and […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Google Served 10 Billion Video Views In August, Says ComScore Years ago, McDonald’s restaurants advertised how many burgers they had served right on the big sign at each location. And when […]
Properly categorizing your business at Google Maps is one of the most important Local Search Ranking Factors, as I mentioned in last month’s column. There’s been a lot of chatter about business categories since then, most notably at the Local Search Summit in San Jose, during August’s Search Marketing Now webinar on Local Search, and […]
Who owns your business details – your phone number, address, company name? As the owner of a business, do you have the right to choose where your details are listed online in search engines, directory sites, blogs, forums, social networks, and, do you have the right to force such sites to remove your details? What […]
One of the challenges for a local business that wants to rank for phrases like “reno dentist” or “nashville accountant” is that the large Internet yellow pages sites and similar local directories often take up a lot of the real estate on search results pages for “city category” phrases. Ergo, one of the most basic […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Yahoo Buys Xoopit To Advance “Smarter Inbox” Strategy The web’s first (and some might still argue only) “killer app,” email, was invented roughly 35 years ago. And everyone seems to have […]
Twitter has reached critical mass. Oprah’s recent announcement that she’d joined Twitter, and her near-instantaneous recruitment of over 1,000,000 followers, has signaled a tipping point—tweeting is no longer a pastime exclusively for the technorati and uber-geeks. In fact, it seems like elitist spinsters are the only demographic not to embrace it yet at some level […]
SEMPO announced an educational partnership this morning with yellow pages publisher Yellow Book, a division of the UK based Yell. According to the press release put out, the SEMPO Institute “will be providing distance learning education for Yellowbook’s media consultant sales team.” I believe this is the first such relationship between SEMPO and an individual […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web.
In a struggling economy, there is even greater competition among businesses for the almighty dollar. It is the epitome of the expression “survival of the fittest” when you see which businesses will close shop and which will find ways to succeed. What ultimately separates the two is the ability to see the opportunity in an […]
(Business owners, if you’re looking for actionable advice, skip to the end) I spoke at a local Chamber of Commerce here in the Portland area last week, giving a brief presentation on the fundamentals of SEO. Unlike a previous event I’d attended just three months ago in eastern Washington, about 75% of this audience had […]
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 […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web.
Think of this post as a SearchBiz for Local, Maps & Mobile today; there was enough news to do a bit of a roundup. First up is Google’s announcement that it has dramatically expanded (“doubled”) the coverage available via StreetView, including many new states such as Maine, West Virginia, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web.
If you want to get a snapshot of a specific era in American society, I’d suggest the Yellow Pages industry is a good place to take that picture. The companies and headings listed can provide a footprint in time for people’s needs and interests of the day. In the 130-year history of the Yellow Pages, […]
An advertisement is only as effective as its content. If the content doesn’t reach out to potential customers and make a compelling case, the ad doesn’t make the sale, which means the people at your business never get the chance to do the same. But even good ads can get lost in the shuffle of […]
Online marketers have been predicting the death of print yellow pages for years. While that will never happen, print yellow pages are no longer the primary way that people seek local information. In fact, the internet collectively — through search engines, local search sites, online yellow pages and other venues — is the top way […]
The search business is a roll-up-your-sleeves type of business. We’re continually honing the way we deliver the search experience of today while preparing for how that experience will change tomorrow. With our eyes on the road ahead, and our minds grappling with what lies around the corner, there isn’t much time to look in the […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web.
Microsoft has announced they released a new Live Search Maps India plus new imagery to Virtual Earth.
South African online marketing firm Entelligence announced that it had filed a formal complaint with the Competition Commission of South Africa against Google’s South African operation for “abuse of dominance in terms of Section S8(d)(i) of the Competition Act 89 of 1998, which prohibits a firm from ‘requiring or inducing a supplier or customer to […]
According to comScore, U.S. Internet users watched 11.5 billion online videos in March, 2008. The average viewer watched nearly three hours of video online. These statistics make video an attractive means for advertisers to reach their audience, and in turn, a potential windfall for online video hosts such as YouTube and Google. So far, however, […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web.
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, […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web.
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 Usage Study, conducted by Knowledge Networks/Statistical […]
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 top with the most relevant offerings […]
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 million more on top of that. […]