Local Search: Better Than Yellow Pages

When was the last time you opened the yellow pages? Yes, I mean an actual phone book.

If you’re like most people, I can guess that it’s been awhile.

According to recent study by the Yellow Pages Association and comScore, local search — the practice of using online search tools to find local businesses, products, or services –grew 58% in 2008, reaching a total of 15.7 billion searches for the year. That’s a lot more than a few flips through the phone book.

Local search has become the new way for people to connect with local businesses and services in a faster, more efficient, and less costly way. However, most small business owners fail to take full advantage of what local search can mean for their success and instead focus most of their resources into choosing traditional media avenues to advertise.

Not to say that traditional media is bad –I think it can be a good choice depending on the community–but it’s more important to choose visibility techniques that have some longevity. Avenues like magazines, newspapers, TV, and radio are incredibly expensive and temporary, only delivering to those who may be tuning in at the time rather than reaching as many customers as possible. A good website and local search presence are one time investments (with some regular upkeep) that are always visible to prospective customers.

Just think of how much your business can save by choosing to advertise less on TV and more on the web. Not only will you be reaching more people in your community, but you’ll be doing it in a way that is always accessible and current.

Social media, local search and SEO are some of the best investments you can make for getting your brick and mortar store out into the open and accessible to your community. Factor in a great website design and you’ve got an advertising strategy that can pay off for years to come.

So what’s the best way to take the plunge? Well, first off, know that local search marketing can take a lot of time and effort in terms of management. If you plan on doing PPC and SEO for your site yourself, you need to be confident in your abilities to reach your target audience while still being able to run your business. If you lack the time, choose an agency that’s experienced in local search and all of its facets, including SEO, PPC, E-Mail marketing, and social media. But if you do want to try it yourself, I’d recommend taking a look at this Small Business Search Marketing Guide to get started.

And if you haven’t updated your website recently, it may be time to make the change before you start your search marketing campaign. Investing in a quality website redesign or brand new build can be one of the first steps in creating a successful presence in your community. Just like your store, your marketing efforts and web design are going to make strong first impressions. Be sure they’re good ones.