Explanation and Details

Internet Yellow Pages (IYP) and Local Search

According to e-Local Listing, "a staggering 86% of adults now use search engines to look up information on local businesses. With 80% of Americans' income being spent within fifty miles of their homes, a successful local internet marketing company is imperative to a business' success." Citing several studies, searchengineworld.com recently wrote, ?The internet has now surpassed the venerable print yellow pages and newspapers as the primary local resource for consumers looking for services.? Comparative studies by comScore in 2007 and 2008 about local search behavior (online and off) revealed that almost twice as many respondents used online tools than used print yellow pages Print yellow pages declined from being the leading single source (33%) in 2007 to second most populat in 2008 (30%), while search engine use increased from 30% to 31% in that time span. Use of internet yellow pages also rose (from 17% to 19%), while local search site usage declined slightly (from 13% to 11%). Moreover, online searchers showed a high propensity for taking further action after viewing an online listing ? a resounding 80% of IYP users proceeded to next steps afterwards, with roughly half of that percentage contacting the business by phone.

Local search in its entirety can be subdivided in different ways. The Kelsey Group, for example, which specializes in this market (and has estimated that it will reach $5.1 billion in 2009), recently broke down the category into: IYPs, search engines, local guides, and social search sites. Beyond these types are ?vertical? search sites, which focus exclusively on a particular market segment, such as health care or automotive. While these are not local searches, they are competing for some of the same users. There are geographically specific sites as well as industry vertical sites; companies who are located in the metropolitan Boston area, for example, should be listed on boston.com.

We don't find it useful to analyze and assess the category by component, especially because the contours are shifting rapidly. What matters is to be listed accurately at the important sites, and to consider paying a premium for advertising at one or several of the main ones. Of the regular IYPs, YellowPages.com seems to be garnering the most market share, partly because so many users naturally just type in ?yellow pages? in their browser search windows.

But simply being listed in these local search engines isn't enough. There are several optimization techniques one should use to boost rankings. Each engine has its own methods of assembling local listings, and by knowing these methods one can influence them. For instance, since you never know which page on your website Google will use to create your local listing, it's important to list your business contact and location information on every page. By putting it all together in one place on the page, such as in a header or footer, Google or another engine can find the information easily and recognize it as your business address. There are other optimization techniques, some of which could even conflict with strict SEO - such as including geographical parameters in a page's title tag. DISC separates the sound methods from those that should be avoided.

Regarding tracking results, DISC uses a special query string to identify each of these campaigns, so that your team or DISC can easily track all clicks and subsequent behavior on your web site.

Mobile

According to eMarketer, U.S. mobile internet penetration was 15.6% in early 2008. With a huge base of mobile phone subscribers, the internet-access component is poised to increase as the technology renders it more accessible and satisfying. EMarketer also projects that by 2011 mobile search will account for around $715 million, or almost 15% of a total mobile advertising market worth nearly $4.7 billion.

Most mobile devices don't lend themselves to in-depth research but rather quick updates about weather and locations of nearby businesses. Location-based ?triangulation? technology represents a virtual revolution in delivering such information: By grabbing information about the cell towers near you, searches are tailored to your location rather than you having to enter one.

Because local search is a research tool that generally drives offline purchasing, we are seeing more real-time inventory information being made available via this platform.

The new generation of iPhones and the ready availability of a development platform are revolutionizing the mobile field. As is widely known, the iPhone makes working with full-size web sites far easier than other phones do, and this trend will undoubtedly extend to other manufacturers as well. Google has recently launched its gPhone and the Android mobile operating system, which will compete against Microsoft's and will further accelerate the move towards better-enabled mobile phones.

For these reasons, DISC does not recommend to most current and prospective clients that they go through the trouble and expense of building a mobile-optimized site.

DISC's IYP & Local SEO Package

DISC will register your site with the primary IYP providers and local search sites, providing them with as much information as possible. This will include the Google, Yahoo, and Bing local sites, as well as Yellow Pages, Super Pages, Local.com, and a number of other similar sites. If you are located in a metropolitan area specifically covered by one or more of the local search sites (such as Yelp, for example), we will also register you with these. In addition, DISC will ensure that InfoUSA has your correct data; InfoUSA is a data source used by a host of IYPs and local search sites. We will also research geographically specific sites as well as industry ?vertical? sites to ensure you are represented in all of them. Clients who are located in the metropolitan Boston area, for example, should be listed on Boston.com. DISC will also discuss with clients the advisability of signing up for the Yahoo Directory and other directories. We generally advise clients to try to appear in the dmoz directory (Open Directory Project), for example, although it is difficult to get into that one.

DISC provides detailed advice on how to best optimize your site to score well on the local search sites, and how to place user/customer reviews at sites that accept them. In addition, DISC will advise the client as to which IYP and local search sites it is worth paying extra for priority advertising. At most of the sites, a basic listing is free, but to garner attention and secure better placement it makes sense to pay for premium advertising services.