June 2, 2009

iPhone Safari Browser to Integrate Geolocation

Computerworld (CW) has the goods on news involving the mobile Safari browser that Apple includes on the iPhone prepping to include geolocation. This means you won't have to type in your zip code or hopefully not have to be asked a million times if an app can use your location.

But that's just the tip of the iceberg. The possibilities for advertising and search are enormous. Targeted ads and results could use location via the browser. This could really be a huge boost for advertisers and yes, consumers. Better ads = more conversions for advertisers and better info on local stuff for consumers. And whichever search engine serves up the most relevant, local results could see a boon as mobile search continues to rise.

iPhone's Safari browser isn't the only one interested in geolocation. According to CW, most browsers are heading in this direction.

Privacy concerns are sure to arise, but hopefully the browsers will include the option to turn off geolocation should a user wish to keep their location super-private.

What do you think of geolocation in browsers? Let us know in the comments below.

Posted by Nathania Johnson at 9:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 2, 2009

Serious About Local: GetListed.org

Need to get your small business better ranked on the search engines and don't know how? Well there is a tool out there now that will give you help - and it's free.

Pat Sexton and David Mihm have joined forces to help small businesses get better listed locally in the search engines with the launch of GetListed.org.

The tool checks how well your site is optimized for local placement in the search engines. It runs a placement test in Yahoo, Google and Microsoft Local as well as the Best of the Web Local Directory. They concentrated on these as they did not want to swamp people with unknown sites, Pat Sexton told me. "We have been approached by others but are staying with the ones we have for the moment," he added.

The system allows you to see any errors in your listings which is handy, as well as any reviews that exist out there.positive or negative.

The site has been well received since its launch - small business blogs have helped push the information out, Sexton noted. "We got out to a lot of real small business people already so we are happy."

While only connected for the US - at the moment - they will be launching in Canada, the UK and Australia in the near future. Other countries and languages are slated for later integration.

"There was a lot of small businesses getting screwed by services that cost way too much," Sexton said. Not anymore Pat - great job - am sure this one becomes an overnight hit.

Posted by Frank Watson at 6:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

August 21, 2008

CitySquares.com is Fastest Growing Search Site

Hyper-local search site CitySquares.com is the fastest growing search site, according to Quantcast. Launched in 2005, focusing on Boston, CitySquares opened up to more locations this past June. Now the site features 1.5 million businesses in New York City, eastern New York State and all of New England.

Since the switch, traffic has increased by 1500%. If you're an SEO or SEM in the New England/New York area, you'll be happy to know that businesses are able to fully customize their CitySquares.com advertising campaign with SEO tools, content management, content syndication tools, email newsletters, video, etc and so on.

CitySquares also incorporates social media, with user reviews and ratings and other user-generated content.

Ben Saren, CEO of CitySquares.com, says this growth proves that consumers are finding the value of using a true hyper-local search site. “This kind of organic growth demonstrates that our model works and that we're addressing a shortcoming in the marketplace. Consumers are finding what they want and businesses are seeing excellent results. We are proud so many businesses refer to us as a trusted online resource.”

Posted by Nathania Johnson at 10:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

July 1, 2008

Local.com Partners with Hearst's White Directory Publishers

Local.com has announced a new advertising partnership with White Directory Publishers, a division of Hearst Holdings. Through the agreement, Local.com will be able to sell its online display advertising inventory to White Directory's national sales channel. The ads will appear on Local.com as well as White Directory Publisher's Talkingphonebook.com and Area-wide.com sites.

“This partnership allows Local.com to reach out to large businesses with regional presence through a leading feet-on-the-street sales force,” said Peter Hutto, Local.com vice president, business development and sales. “This partnership will give Local.com better reach into the small business market, and provide White Directory with a large online distribution channel for their advertisers.”

"This is a tremendous opportunity for national advertisers to extend their reach to local consumers on one of the leading local search sites that consistently ranks in the Top 100 in traffic generated,” said David Bowling, director of national sales for White Directory Publishers. “This is an innovative approach to the sales and targeting of display ads to local consumers by national advertisers with local points of presence."

Posted by Nathania Johnson at 11:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 4, 2008

Spot Runner Buys Weblistic: Local Search on Video Steroids

Today Spot Runner announced its acquisition of Weblistic, a provider of local online advertising, in an all-stock transition. Spot Runner is an internet-based television ad agency headquartered in Los Angeles. The company says in its press release, “The acquisition of Weblistic will enable Spot Runner to correlate TV and online advertising with phone- and Web-based responses to provide tracking, analysis and results.”

The result promises to be an integrated offering of online, TV, and radio advertising for small businesses in their local markets. Spot Runner's press release cites proprietary iProspect-Jupiter Research study proving the value of TV in search engine marketing:

"TV advertising is the number one impetus for people to search for a particular company or product online, surpassing all other forms of advertising, even word of mouth (iProspect Offline Channel Influence on Online Search Behavior Study conducted by Jupiter Research, June 2007)"

The acquisition is part of a greater trend that The Kelsey Group's Michael Boland labeled the "Webification of Small Businesses." This is where B2B companies lure small businesses in with traditional funnel marketing techniques, starting with a free service in the hopes that SMBs will upgrade to premium services in the future.

If you're a small business, you're unlikely to have the in-house resources to handle a broad marketing strategy. Since Spot Runner handles everything from production to placement, adding the coordination of Weblistics online advertising services looks like a win-win for both companies as well as their customers.

Spotrunner was initially dubbed by the media as "Google Adwords for TV." Now that Google TV Ads has broadened its reach, competition will heat up. As Spot Runner chases Google, Google TV Ads may find itself wondering who let the dogs out.

Google doesn't produce TV commercials,but it boasts a network of video production companies to help new TV advertisers. Videos submitted through the system are vetted for quality.

The deal consolidates the local search space further: deep-pocketed Weblistic competitor ReachLocal hired a huge salesforce to sell PPC (paid search) and SEO (search engine optimization) to small and medium-sized enterprises. Merchant Circle relies more on telemarketing to scale SMB customer acquisition. Weblistic found itself squeezed in the middle with a smaller sales force and telemarketing efforts.

The combined Spot Runner and Weblistic teams now face a univeral search challenge as SMBs start optimizing SERPs for blended search and, eventually, video highly-targeted video ads.

Posted by Nathania Johnson at 10:48 AM | Permalink

January 31, 2008

Yellowbook Closes Gap in Local Search

Local search guru Peter Krasilovsky of Local Onliner fame reported on Yellow Pages veteran Pat Marshall's move from Superpages to archrival Yellowbook back in July 2007. As the CNMO (Chief New Media Officer) Marshall assumed operating responsibility for Yellow Book's new media products, including yellowbook.com and search engine advertising. Krasilovsky noted that YellowBook's website wasn't really a priority at the company, and one line of business where Idearc had a strong lead.

So how's he doing? The chart on the left shows traffic through Oct, 2007. Here are the comScore numbers for December:

Yellow Book Network jumped 137 percent to 10.4 million visitors. Visits to Yellowbook.com network sites tripled (up 207 percent to 4.6 million visitors) with the acquisition of a new property.

Yellowbook can't rest on its laurels. AT&T's Yellowpages.com has replaced Yahoo Local Search for AT&T's broadband and Internet customers. (Krasilovsky also reported YellowPages.com recently told analysts it expects to attract two billion searches in 2008, and three billion by 2010.)

Yellowpages.com Network grew by 51 percent to more than 24 million visitors in December, 2007. Mike Boland of The Kelsey Group explained in SEW Experts why Google, Yahoo, and MSN need to take the IYP threat seriously. Verizon's also reportedly competing with Google for the $4.7 billion C-block for 700 mhz wireless spectrum, according to Saul Hansell of The New York Times.

For search marketers, their clients, and small and medium sized enterprises, that means online-offline integrated search advertising.

Posted by Kevin Heisler at 12:53 PM | Permalink

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