Local Search Marketing

Frequently Asked Questions

What is "Local Search"?

Performing a search online to find information about a business, product or service in the searcher's local geographic area. Most of these searches result in an offline, in person visit or purchase from a business opposed to online purchasing. Local searchers are seeking information: contact information, driving directions, price comparisons, reviews, menus, etc. Watch this video for more on Google Local.

Where are Local Searches being performed?

Most local searches are still being performed at the major search engines, Google, Yahoo and MSN, which each have their "local" tools and services. There are a multitude of other local search specific sites like Local.com, TrueLocal, CitySearch, YellowPages.com and more....

Is "Local Search" a passing trend? Do I really need to be marketing my business in this way?

Some people thought the Internet was a passing trend too! The reality is that local search technology provides people with fast, easy access to a wide range of information that might otherwise be very time consuming. While the majority of local searches will move off the computer to phones and mobile devices, local search technology will continue to grow.

I'm in the Yellow Pages, isn't that enough?

Not any more. More people turn to Internet to let their fingers do the walking these days. It does provide a good reference point for why Local Search Marketing is so important and why it's really quite affordable. How much does a yellow pages ad cost each month? Does it include a map with interactive driving directions, the ability to update it frequently, customer reviews, a full description of your products and services, your current hours, a link to your website and email, etc.?

Do I need to have a website?

No. Since local searchers are looking to buy local services and products, they just need to know how to find you. The local search directories provide a wide range of information to the customer so a website is not necessary to benefit from Local Search Marketing.

Do I need to purchase Local Search Marketing Services or can I do it myself?

Of course you can do it yourself and there are a million resources online and in print that will help you. As with most areas of running your business, it either requires time or money. You CAN build a website, do your taxes, fix equipment and so on, but you may choose not to. Often times hiring a professional (for any task) is more time and cost effective in the long run and frees your time to do what you do best. I encourage you to understand enough about Local Search and the marketing services being offered so that you can be sure you are getting what you pay for. Online service providers are notoriously fly by night scam artists, so be careful when selecting your service providers.

So why should I choose/trust Oregon Local Search?

Oregon Local Search is a service provided by Original Web Solutions of Eugene, Oregon.

• We have been in business since 2000 and plan to be here for our customers for many years to come.
• We are a small business ourselves and understand your needs. We also depend on satisfying customers to stay in business and we pride ourselves in staying ahead of the technology curve and providing customers with a quality service.
• Our services (both marketing and web design) are priced to allow small businesses an affordable yet professional grade service.
• While we do not limit our services to Oregon, we offer Oregon based businesses a local service provider. And for those businesses located in state we understand Oregon and for local marketing, thats pretty important.

Will you define some terms for me?

• What is SEO? - Search Engine Optimization is the process of optimizing your web site for search. Not all websites are created equal and optimizing your site for your industry is important. This includes cleaning up code, making sure content is readable by the search engines, creating relevant content and making your site is usable and accessible to everyone.
• What is SEM? - Search Engine Marketing is marketing your site using the search engines. This includes search engine submission, RSS feeds, blogging, posting videos, link campaigns, PPC advertising, etc.
• PPC - Short for Pay Per Click, this is a paid service that allows your business to be listed in the paid results sections of major search engines. For example, Google offers PPC Advertising services called AdWords. You can bid on search terms and based on your bid amount, the terms popularity and your site's relevance to that term you will be placed along the top and right side of Google where it says Sponsored Links.
• Traffic Analytics - These tell you (among other things) how many people visited your site, where they are located, what pages they looked at and for how long and where they found your site, if at a search engine - what keyword they searched for. Understanding how the actual people who visit your site use it is important. It's also important for tracking the success of a marketing campaign.
• What is Social Bookmarking? - Social bookmarking sites allow users to "bookmark" articles, blog posts or web pages and share those bookmarks with other users online with similar interests.  This creates online communities sharing information and drives targeted visitors to your site.

What is Reputation Monitoring?

Every successful business owner understands that listening to your customers is important! Are your customers talking about you online? They may well be and you should know what they are saying for 1) to improve your products/services 2) but also to monitor and manage information that everyone else on the Internet can potentially see. Our reputation monitoring services ensure that local search directories have your correct information and to monitor and manage reviews customers leave.

Can I keep people from posting negative feedback or delete it?

Nope. Negative feedback is inevitable, it's how you deal with it that's important. People are free to say your bathroom was dirty, your receptionist was rude, your services were below parr, but they can also say your service was outstanding, you came in under budget and ahead of schedule, and the coffee is always fresh. We are in an age of open communication and transparency is important. If your customer posts negative feedback you can respond or contact them to make things right. Your customers may never meet but they are talking to each other. Are you listening? (Of course if false or slanderous information is posted then legal action is an option and a site owner can always be asked to remove false information.)