How to Crush Competitors in Your Catchment Area Using Google Maps and Local Search
Dear Local Business Owner
May 2010
You are at the very start of a new Internet Revolution.
You
can now place your business in a most prominent position online for your
product or service within hours for free using Google Maps.
Google Maps is the beginning point for this revolution since it enables
your individual listing to be claimed and published as an unique web
page showing as much company details as you like and all for free.
Setting up a business listing is quite easy. However optimising this
listing is not and care must be taken to ensure that the listing is
created in such a way the listing will stand out from competitors’
listings.
To supplement this free listing Google now allows any organisation to
create completely free of any expenses a powerful website that can be
further used to promote an organisation’s products or services.
Maintenance of the such a website is easy. No web designer skills are
required and there are no hosting or domain nightmares to content with.
Then image shows SEOza's listing on Google Maps
Quote from Kelsey Market Research Group... USA
Only the local interactive segment will show growth throughout the
forecast period. All other local media will experience marginal to rapid
declines in the next 18 to 36 months. A small number of traditional
media will rebound with a revived economy beginning in 2011, though most
traditional media will continue to decline, albeit at a slower pace.
“By the end of the forecast period, the overall size of the local
advertising market will be considerably smaller than it was at the end
of 2008,” said Tom Buono, president and CEO, BIA Advisory Services. “As
the shift to online accelerates, and the demand for accountability
metrics grows, there is an increased urgency for traditional media
companies to develop and embrace new business models that incorporate
digital strategies in order to drive business over the next decade.”…
http://www.kelseygroup.com/press/pr090226.asp
Always remember that in South Africa we are always a long way behind developments in the USA... that's why it becomes easy for people like us to take the lead online because we can learn what's important from the USA and other developed online markets.
Targeted Search Marketing now Possible
Google has the most powerful local advertising product ever seen
(known as Google Adwords) and by a considerable distance. The diagram
below shows for example that using this methodology it becomes possible
to use Google search to pinpoint an area of interest to the advertiser
who can then elect to have ads shown only to those people who reside in
the specific area selected.. Until fairly recently it was not possible
to do this in South Africa.
This change has opened up enormous and low cost targeted advertising
opportunities never envisaged only a couple of years ago.
This is view of area targeted in Google Adwords for a campaign running
30kms radius from Bedfordview.
This short book is about local search as exemplified in the image above.
Local search and ancilliary tools and systems make it possible for all
businesses large or small to now have an important and unique internet
presence for a fraction of the cost traditional media advertising.
As a local business owner you only have to ask one question: “Am I going
to take this immediately available opportunity to dominate my online
presence in the areas of my expertise or product range”. These will show
you how to do this and why.