Local search is here, but is your business taking advantage?

21st March 2006

It still seems to be a relatively low percentage of businesses that are really maximizing the internet as an advertising medium. I think many businesses are losing sales every minute of every day.

You’d be surprised how often the company with the largest ad in the Yellow Pages is barely visible in the search engines.  Smaller, locally owned businesses are dominating the search results and even the “sponsored listings” on the local search result pages.

For example, if I search Google for “tires portland” or “tires portland oregon” I don’t come up with either Les Schwab or Goodyear (Two large chains).

The same holds true for “portland mattress” or “portland mattress sale”. Were are regional giants Mattress World and Sleep Country?

When I Google for “auto repair” or “oil change portland”, Midas, Firestone, Oil Can Henrys are all conspicuously missing.

Many of the same businesses spending tens of thousands of dollars a month on TV and radio, not to mention the Yellow pages, and they appear to be ignoring the internet.

Why is that?  I suspect it’s because their many advertising agencies really don’t fully realize that the internet is fast replacing other forms of advertising, and their smarter competitors are just eating them alive obtaining new business.

In 2006, more than 45% of the US Citizens has BROADBAND high speed internet access, and they use the internet to search for everything they want. Although I can’t cite any statistics, I’ll bet more people reach for their mouse, instead of for the Yellow Pages, millions of people fast forward their way past commercials, and subscribe to sattelite radio.

I help businesses of all sizes maximize their marketing efforts through the search engines. Whether you need to improve a website in the “organic search results” or through “Pay per click advertising”, I can help.