We have been advising clients more and more on the importance of incorporating Local Search into their Search Engine Marketing (SEM) efforts. In a recent report (Yahoo study), findings show that 82% of searchers made a contact from a listing found on a yellow pages site and, furthermore, 61% accounted for an in-store sale! You might be asking yourself, “How can you take part in this growing marketplace?” Well…

These days the possibilities are endless. Local submissions, mapping services, contextual ads, and geo-targeted search all provide new ways your ad can appear on a web page. Local Search gives small businesses the opportunity to reach their customers on the web and engage in a cost-effective, SEM strategy. I have first-hand experience in which many of my clients found success using these tactics. One in particular was finding it hard to compete in the main search engine results and was able to effectively lower the over all monthly spend while bringing in more qualified and geographically relevant traffic.

If, as the report states, Local Search is growing at a 40% faster rate than main search engine traffic, why wouldn’t you join? Here’s to Local Search!

There is another new search engine in the marketplace.  Powerset believes they are ready to take on Google, with their natural-language search engine.  You are currently able to visit their site and provide your email address for more information and account set-up information.  Powerset’s algorithms are programmed to understand search requests submitted in plain English, differently from the keyword search used by Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and all other keyword search engines. 

Natural-language search has been attempted before.  In the 1990s, Ask Jeeves was founded on the premise that Internet search requests should be presented as simple questions.  Users seemingly weren’t satisfied with search results, because they had too many irrelevant answers.  After nearly failing, the company embraced the keyword approach to search and abandoned its natural-language algorithms.  It is now known simply as Ask.com.

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Social media optimization (SMO) is a set of methods for generating publicity through social media, online communities and community websites. Methods of SMO include adding RSS feeds, a “Digg This” button, blogging and incorporating third party community functionalities like Flickr photo slides and galleries or YouTube videos. Social media optimization is a form of search engine marketing, as stated by Wikipedia.

Rohit Bhargava was credited with inventing the term SMO. His original five rules for conducting Social Media Optimization are:

1. Increase your linkability
2. Make tagging and bookmarking easy
3. Reward inbound links
4. Help your content travel
5. Encourage the mashup

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