Feature:
The Lowdown on Local

It seems like every year the pundits claim that this will be the year that local search marketing really hits its stride. 2010 may actually be that year. With the explosion of the use of smart phones, the mobile Internet and GPS locating, it's more critical than ever to ensure that your business can be found by people that are searching for local businesses using the Internet.

So where do you start? Most local search engines get their listing data from infoUSA, Acxiom and the Internet Yellow Pages. infoUSA and Acxiom have compiled databases containing detailed information on most of the businesses and consumer households in the US and Canada. It's a good idea to look up your listing at yellowpages.com and whitepages.com to be sure the information is accurate.

Most Google searches that include a region or city in the search (or even searches that are likely to be looking for local business, such as a search for plumber or pizza) will display a list of seven local listings, along with a map, above the regular, organic listings.

So how do you get your business listed? Each listing in Google Maps is a cluster of information that Google pulls from a few different places: Yellow Pages, for example, as well as other third-party providers such as local search engines. However, the basic information that you submit through their Local Business Center is the information that Google trusts the most. This means that it will appear instead of any basic information that they get from other sources.

Google gives you two different ways to submit your listing once you've set up an account and logged in to their Local Business Center. The first option is to submit your listings individually and verify them by either phone or postcard. If you have more than 10 locations, you can utilize the volume upload option and provide a CSV file with your information.

Finally, you might already see your listing in Google's local results. Your listing probably has links that say something like "Is This Information Correct?" This is Google's way of soliciting updates or edits on the listing - click on these links to claim and verify your listing. Once you have set up your listings, you will have the opportunity to add important information such as services, hours of operation, areas served, methods of payment, and even photos and video. Don't forget to appropriately add key search terms where you can!

Google's Local Business Center also provides you with a dashboard where you can view how users are interacting with your local listings. You can review data on the number of impressions your listings have generated and the number of actions associated with your listings. Actions include clicks on "More Information" or "Driving Directions" and clicks through to your website.

What else can you do? We've mainly discussed Google's local business results. However, it's important not to ignore the other local opportunities. Some of the other big players in the local search market include Yahoo Local, Ask City, Windows Live Local, True Local, Local.com, AOL Local, City Search, JudysBook.com, Yelp.com and Kudzu.com. Several of these sites allow potential customers to read reviews about your business and give current customers the opportunity to write reviews about your business. In turn, the more favorable reviews your business receives, the better chance you have of your listing appearing in the results.

Don't get left behind! Be sure to submit and/or update your information on local search engines and directories and encourage your customers to write reviews about your company. Remember - it's easy. All you need is your basic company information and you can reach thousands of new customers!

By Kristin O'Neil, Account Manager at Prominent Placement, Inc., an award-winning, full-service search engine marketing (SEM) firm. For more information, visit www.prominentplacement.com or call 888.SEM.MKTR (888.736.6587).