Local Search, You're Upsetting My Wife
Posted by keirsun on August 28, 2006 at 04:08 PM
Today is my wedding anniversary. Don't worry, I planned ahead this year - at this moment there's jewelry hidden in my basement, wrapped and everything.
I just hope my 3 year old hasn't already found it and claimed it for her own.
But it's a good thing I sometimes think ahead and I'll tell you why. I decided to search for an anniversary gift this year using local search. It seemed like the logical search choice since I prefer to buy locally. But that's when things started get ugly.
My problem? Not knowing exactly what I wanted to buy my lovely wife.
My search engine? Google Local (or Maps, whatever you want to call it).
My keywords? Anniversary Gifts
I like to start my searches a bit broad and then get specific when I see something that catches my eye. But in this case, I went blind.
Out of numerous pages of search results, not one listing caught my attention. Obviously, this is when I try a new search phrase. But let's think about this for a moment.
The first 3 pages of local search results for anniversary gifts contained nothing more than florists, golf courses, Sears and a church. All 4 of these make some sense, specifically the florists. But are you telling me that not one of the um-teen thousand retail stores in my area has made an effort to list themselves under the keyword anniversary gifts???!!!
In particular, there's more than a shiny handful of jewelry stores in the area. But not even one of these businesses, which supposedly specialize in helping wild-eyed husbands running home late on anniversary night find a gift, showed up in my search results.
So here's my question: How long is it going to take for local businesses to catch on?
Some, such as those busy florists, have realized that people like me no longer pick up the yellow pages, or have time to window shop. But I still buy gifts, and I want to spend my money locally.
I'm begging local businesses, please start using the advertising channels that are available to every consumer with internet access. Because I don't ever want to see the look on my wife's face when I come home empty-handed on August 28th.
Tags
local search
google local
Category
Best Practices
Comments (5)
Posted on August 29, 2006 11:20 AM
It amazes me how adamantly people will will insist on employing a resource just because it's "new and improved", regardless of whether it actually works. I remember back to the early days of cell phones when it was all the rage to carry a 12 pound brick around just so one could "talk anywhere", except that anywhere was usually outside in a parking lot facing due west with your head cocked slightly to one side to assure reception. All along the dependable land line was usualy 10 feet away in any direction and only cost a quarter.
Continue to bemoan the inadequacies of the local search environment on the web all you want...but maybe reach for that dependable solution you had all along...the Yellow Pages still get the job done.
Posted on August 29, 2006 11:46 AM
Roger - Thanks for the comment. Sure it's essential for businesses to hold onto their yellow page listings, simply because people use them. My point is that people are also using local search opportunities online, so why wouldn't a business create a free listing in Google Local so that they appear for top-level keyword searches? Let me repeat that: Free Business Listings. The simple fact is that successful businesses are visible to consumers. If people like me use search to find local businesses, why not be visible in this space as well?
Posted on August 29, 2006 01:07 PM
It's true that some responsibility falls to the local business owner to optimize for local. The Local Search providers themselves, however, must also do whatever they can to leverage the available data. Unfortunately, most have not, as evidenced by your example above.
At TrueLocal, we work very hard to get the very best results. In your example, searching for 'anniversary gifts' in 49653 provides a short but mostly relevant list of businesses.
Since you were apparently looking for jewelery, a click on the Jewelery related search would brings up several results, including one right in Lake Leelanau.
Posted on September 3, 2006 05:49 PM
This was a great posting and it rang a bell since last week was our anniversary as well.
I run a local search site for Burlington Ontario and am considering providing search engine marketing services to local merchants. The trick is how to get consumers from typing a keyword into a search engine and physically going to their store.
The sheer cost of YellowPage ads is incredible. Local search is so much more cost effective. But, local merchants don't have the time or skills to setup Adwords or Overture ad campaigns. It's very time consuming to manage the bidding process, optimizing ad copy, etc. This is why I was thinking I could help fill the gap between the local merchants and the big search engine companies who don't have feet on the ground in communities like ours.
Posted on August 28, 2006 05:49 PM
Keirsun,
Every local business owner should read this post. May I have your permission to include it in my book "How to Promote Your Local Business on the Internet"? I first wrote it in 2002 but plan an update very soon. Thanks for posting about this very important issue that is near and dear to my heart!
Sharon Odom Fling