"Local Search Trends and How To Benefit..."

Needless to say, if you're a business owner, you'd better get familiar with "local search"!

Here's an example of how it works...

Yesterday was a snow day for my kids -- no school. As we were driving to pick up my snow plow (why do I wait until after it snows to do this!) we decided to stop for lunch.

We were in an unfamiliar area of the state but we all agreed we wanted tacos.

So I pulled out my iPhone and pressed the free Google Mobile App. I use this app so much I moved it to my main screen. It's the big blue G icon near the bottom left corner of my phone...

I love this app. It lets you speak what you want to find, then searches the web. Can't get any easier than that.

It's no wonder that millions of iPhone users, Droid users and other app driven handhelds have flocked to download this app.

After pressing the blue G icon, up popped the voice search screen, that looks like this...

 I said simply, "Mexican restaurants".

Since my iPhone has an onboard GPS like lots of other hand held devices these days, it knows where I am and shows local search results.

Here's what popped up...

My wife clicked to a few of the listings, read some of the reviews and bingo! We were eating fantastic Mexican food 15 minutes later.

While this may sound like an advertisement for Google or the iPhone, it's not. I simply wanted to illustrate the power of mobile web and local search in case you have not started using it yet.

Like I said, lots of devices can do this, not just the iPhone. And as far as the app itself goes, google is not the only one offering this. There are lots of apps that do voice search and local results, including a popular app from Yahoo.

If you want to read more about these apps, you can go here:

Google Mobile: http://www.google.com/mobile

Yahoo Mobile: http://mobile.yahoo.com/

After this quick, important sponsor message, I'll show you how to get your business into local search results, and get ranked higher than others in your niche...

As I mentioned at the onset of this article, whether you have a physical business location or not, getting listed in local search results is a no-brainer. People often feel more comfortable doing business with someone who is local, so they seek out local companies first.

It's better than a yellow pages ad and it costs nothing!

Here are the two "local search" listings you should sign up for right away. Submission to these top local search sites is still 100% free, and may bring you more business than you expect.

1. Google

A free listing at the Google Local Business Center  makes it easy for customers to find your business. Google even makes it simple for you to offer coupons.

To grab your free listing at the Google Local Business Center, go to:
http://www.google.com/local/add/businessCenter
 

2. Yahoo! Local

Every business should also take time to get listed at Yahoo's Local Search Site. Yahopo has always had a great community feel and many people prefer them for this reason.

Yahoo Local currently offers three types of listings with prices starting at free! For more details on their offerings and to sign up, go to:

http://listings.local.yahoo.com/

What are you waiting for...

If you want more customers, now is the time to get your business listed with local search. Take a few minutes today and sign up with those two giants above, and start getting your share of all these customers!

And before I close today's gazette, here are a few secrets to getting your listing to show above others in your local area.

1. Verify your listing.

There's a good chance your business is already listed, as Google regularly adds businesses from sources such as yellow pages and other third parties. However these are just basic listings. If you take the step of verifying the information and updating it, you'll fare much better in local search results!

2. Get reviews!

The more customer reviews you have, the better you can rank. So ASK your most satisfied customers to do this for you. If they agree, ask them to do it from their gmail account if they have one. Tell them they can get a free gmail account at gmail.com and it that it is quite handy to have a gmail.com email address, because it integrates seamlessly with app driven phones. (There's a free gmail app that makes answering email on the go, very simple.) If you can get lots of folks to do this for you, you should see your local results steadily climb, and your traffic and sales along with it!

See ya in a few weeks...
Jim Daniels
JDD Publishing Co.

P.S. If you'd like to start generating some income online, come to make-a-living-online.com.  I explain everything you need to know at the site, for free. (No opt-in necessary.)