Archive for the ‘Local Search’ Category

Google Maps or Mapquest: Which Has More to Explore?

Monday, March 9th, 2009

Mike Blumenthal makes the point that Google Maps is gaining if not having surpassed Mapquest in users, but points out that users stay on Mapquest’s site longer (see Hitwise graphic at Mike’s post).

Mapquest has more results content than Google Maps?

Mapquest has more results content than Google Maps?

I surmise that this very well could for a few different reasons:

  • that there is more actual content on Mapquest’s search results page (see Graphic posted below)
  • that people may do a ‘local search’ and not delve any deeper than the Google 10 pack, thus grabbing a few phone numbers by which to get the ‘best price’ etc.
  • that if a searcher does get to the actual http://maps.google.com page to view results, that page is not as crowded as the Mapquest results page. (there’s a lot of stuff on the MapQuest page!  See for yourself.)

All Politics is “local”..so use local keywords!

Friday, February 27th, 2009

Adding a Local Keyword to get you that local search engine traffic is key now for all small businesses.  Even political blogs understand that if their core readership is a local constituency, then you have to have keywords that help catch the local readership’s keyword searches.  If they’re likely to add a geographic identifier in their search, you’re going to come up somewhere in the search results.

Gotta respect the idea.  Use the power of local search seo in polical blog.  We’re not promoting ‘political blogs’ but I do like that the person behind the article “gets it” when it comes to understanding the power of optimizing your blog for search locally. Even if it is a political blog:

Add a Local Keyword

As you’ve figured out by now, LeftyBlogs.com tries to figure out if a post contains local content - and then displays it on the local page for each state. It’s all based on keywords. (For example, every time it seems the word Blagojevich from an Illinois blog, we know it’s about the governor.)

Now, we’re using the power of the community to improve the logic. You can submit your own local keywords.

They recommend adding a local keyword, your state, general local issues, local politician names, etc.  All of this is for Search Engine Optimization, so searchers will be able to find the specific blog by it appearing in relevant searches that have some of those local Buzzwords like “Blagojevich”.  Interesting, no?

Insurance Marketing on the Local Level

Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009

Can’t have too many of these… thank you letters from clients.  Some would say ‘testimonials’ but that sounds a little presumptuous.  Nonetheless, it is gratifying to get them. This particular client had a challenge to overcome.  His agency was a Brooke franchise.  Brooke Insurance was new in Illinois in 2008 and I helped several of their agencies get some marketing traction in local search engine optimization.  Getting optimized in local search was a great step forward for Daniel Walsh’s Brooke agency.  Unfortunately, a few months after he got up and running as a Brooke franchisee, Brooke Corp filed for Bankruptcy protection….. This left many of the franchisees without much in the way of support.  Like most professionals, Daniel fell back and regrouped as “Walsh Insurance Services Inc“.  We were able to help him rebrand in the Search Engines and many destination IYP sites to which we transmit his data.

Here is how he stands in the most heavily used search engine local search results for:

He’s already gotten a number of policies sold.  One Business insurance policy and seveal others:

Read his testimonial

Walsh Insurance Services in Oak Lawn, IL

Walsh Insurance Services in Oak Lawn, IL

“I have now received two calls from clients who found me on the internet.  I know it doesn’t sound like a lot, but that is two clients I would not have otherwise had.  The client that called me yesterday found me on the internet after becoming frustrated trying to inquire about health insurance on-line. She did a search for Health insurance in Oak Lawn and found me.  She liked the site you designed for me and wanted a local agent. She came in today and purchased two health insurance policies. She will be back tomorrow to move over her home, auto, umbrella and rental property insurance.

So I just wanted to say thanks for the great work and let you know I am a very satisfied customer.  I was skeptical at first that this would not work. But so far it has been an investment well worth the price.”

Daniel F. Walsh

Walsh Insurance Services, Inc.

10730 S Cicero Ave. Ste. 201Oak Lawn, IL 60453

Phone (708) 499-6100

Fax (708) 422-1093

www.walsh-ins.com

Other former Brooke agents we’ve helped:

Ed Courrier’s  Family & Friends Agency– New Website and local search optimization.  He’s optimized superiorly for Auto Insurance in Chicago –#7 in Google 10 Pack.  Tracy Givens, optimized for “Auto insurance in 60643″ #1 in the Google 10 Pack.  That’s not too shabby…

New client Orlando Argueta’s Family & Friends Agency– We did his new website and local search optimization uploads this week.  We work nationwide to help our clients dominate their loal markets.  Any other former Brooke Insurance Agents feel free to call us for a consultation.

SEO vs Local Search Optimization

Wednesday, December 10th, 2008

I think most of us know by now the buzz around the term “Local Search”.  Heck, I even capitalize it.  Here is a screenshot of a Google Trend comparison:

Seo vs. local search trendline in Google Trends

Seo vs. local search trendline in Google Trends

Good news for SEO companies and for everyone who’s savvy to the benefits of a good SEO program.  Let us know your successes with SEO or maybe some of your failures with it.

Any great local SEOs out there give us a shout on the comments section, and don’t forget to leave alink to your blog as well.

Call Measurement for Local Search Optimization

Monday, December 8th, 2008

Just what we’ve all been thinking.  Call measurement (call tracking) is invaluable for leaning just where you get the best ROI (return on investment) when it comes to deciding where to spend our advertising dollar.

From SearchEngineLand:

Just as the efficacy of online advertising can be measured down to the keyword level, advertisers using call tracking can assign unique phone numbers to different SEM campaigns, search engines, publishers and even paid versus organic search, allowing marketers to measure and prove ROI for leads that result in a phone call. You are probably generating calls from your search efforts already, but without call tracking, you are not getting the credit you deserve!”  Ari Jacoby

Tracking for inbound and outbound calls for Local Search

Tracking for inbound and outbound calls for Local Search

Call measurement now being offered to our clients for local search optimization.  Call our the sales department to get the scoop (708) 361-1600.  Its affordable, measurable down to the keyword which generated the click to your landing page.

ROI KICKOFF!

Monday, November 10th, 2008

Let’s get this party started!  Welcome to the blog.  Although currently its a bit bare, we’ll be posting articles here on current events in Local Search Engine Optimization as well as client situations we’ve serviced, solutions we’ve provided etc.

Just adding our voice to the growing field of experts in the Local Search community.