Tag Archives: Local Search

Facebook Page or Website?

There are a bunch of websites and consultants advising that companies skip a website in favor of a Facebook Page. But it’s a really bad idea. You should have a Facebook Page, and a basic one can be put together in just a few minutes. But this can’t substitute for your real home on the […]

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The Convergence of Local and Traditional SEO (A Quick History)

When you search on Google for something that may be local (a restaurant, dentist, or plumber, for instance), the search engine returns a combination of regular and local results. About a year ago, these were always clearly separate, but have since become less easily distinguished. What’s interesting is that it wasn’t just the display that […]

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Google Places is Focused on Photos: What’s That Mean For You?

I posted yesterday that Google released an update to Google Maps for Android. What struck me about the update was that the very first bullet in their list of features for the app is the ability to upload photos for Places. This, coming right after the desktop Google Places update that also prioritized an “upload […]

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Google Revamps Place Pages, Minimizing 3rd Party Reviews

Yesterday Google announced changes to Google Places Pages. I posted a quick note in my Around The Web section at the time, but would like to dive into it a bit deeper and provide some analysis as well. What’s Changed On Google Places The Place Pages We’ll start at the top (orange edits are mine): A […]

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Review Spam: Will It Be Fixed? (And How To Deal With It Today)

This post was prompted by discussions at Catalyst eMarketing and Blumenthals.com regarding spam reviews of moving companies. It’s a nightmare. You go to your Google Places Page, and see it covered with reviews saying that your business is overpriced, has horrible service, and is pretty much a scam. Sure, not every one of your customers […]

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Title Tags: Important, Overlooked, and Misunderstood

Writing great title tags can be one of the quickest and easiest ways to get more search engine traffic – and can even increase the number of visitors you get from social media sites. But the websites of many small businesses ignore title tags or follow bad advice – and drive away potential customers. Read […]

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Google Moves To Cement Its Place In Local

I highlighted a survey yesterday that demonstrated the gains search engines are making versus other sources of local information. Today Google capped a week of announcements and changes that highlight its commitment to becoming the #1 source for information on local businesses. If Google’s success continues, it will be even more important to your business. […]

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2011 Yellow Pages vs. Online Search Usage Survey

The Local Search Association (formerly Yellow Pages Association) has released a new survey regarding how people find local businesses. I know readers have found this info useful in the past, so read on for the highlights and some commentary. The Data The first set of data is looking at the sources used by US consumers […]

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Getting Your Business Listed

Local online business listings help people find businesses – and can affect your company’s ranking in the search engines. Learn how + where to get listed.

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Google: Loving Generic Business Names

When yellow pages ruled the Earth, businesses used crazy names, such as AAAAA Plumbers – because when you’re listed alphabetically, not much beats quintuple-A. You can get around this to some extent by purchasing ads, as most books put the biggest ads first, but the regular listings are usually alpha. Now that we’ve entered the […]

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