Local Business Center Listings

… and Tips for Tweaking Them!

In August we ran a post about getting your site listed in Google’s 10-pack.  This post has been our number one read post to date, so I thought you might appreciate additional tips on tweaking your local business center listings across Google, Yahoo, and Bing.

1. Submit complete forms.

All three local search centers include a wealth of information that’s of use for people doing searches (i.e. your prospects!), so be sure to fill out each form completely (the hyperlinked “Google”, “Yahoo” and “Bing”, above, will take you to each).

For example, if you have a bricks and mortar storefront, you can indicate your operating hours. If your site then appears in Google’s 10-pack listing and someone clicks on your listing, it will say whether or not you’re open for business –…

Getting into the Google 10-Pack

SES Show Update and Three 10-Pack Strategies

We’ve been at Search Engine Strategies–San Jose since Tuesday. The themes we’re hearing repeatedly: mobile is going to be huge, review sites are going to be huger, and social media is now part and parcel of the SEO / search fabric.

Because we love you, our small and mid-sized business customers, we attended the session, “Search Engine Optimization on a Dime,” and pricked-up our ears when we heard this stat from David Mihm, Director and COO of GetListed.org: more than 40% of all searches had a local (or geographic) intent.

What was eye-opening was his statement that Google sees potentially 500 million local searches per month! (No one is quite sure of the exact number.)

Local search is when someone uses a search phrase, such as “plumbers” plus a city, region, or…

Microsoft & Yahoo: Live Together or Die Alone

Our Analysis of the Deal, Potential Impacts

The day has finally arrived.  Microsoft and Yahoo have figured out how to partner together.  And, it was all done under the unparalleled scrutiny of incessant press and blogger coverage.  Congratulations to Steve Ballmer and Carol Bartz.  You get an A+ for persistence.

There are a lot of purists and contrarians criticizing Yahoo for entering into this agreement, most of which presumes a loss of entrepreneurship, innovation and competitive advantage.  However, let’s set the story straight.  Yahoo has been struggling in the search marketplace for quite some time.  They have seen their market share erode and have not shown any signs of turning that around.  Google, through their simple user interface and continuous innovation, has claimed the search marketplace as its own.

What options were left for Yahoo?  Dethroning the market…