Local Search Replaces the Yellow Pages

Beginning in 2008, Google changed the search engine to detect when people are searching for local companies or organizations. When a local search is detected, Google displays a map with the top 10 listings in that region. This is called “local search.”

From this point forward, when a local search was detected, the local search results were placed ahead of the normal web results! Instantly, people who were ranked number one were no longer visible at the top of the page. Those sites that were optimized for local search gained new prominence, and earned more money for it.

Yahoo and Microsoft Live search have their variants of local search. The techniques described in this document are not mandatory to get listed, but the more techniques you employ, the higher your ranking will be.

Local search is the new Yellow Pages. In 2008, internet searches exceeded Yellow Page use when searching for local businesses.

Now is the time to dominate and solidify local search before it gets hyper-competitive.

Where Do I Find Local Search?

You’ve probably already stumbled into local search results without realizing. For example, if you’ve done any searching for a restaurant and the name of the city, the search engine would automatically detect this as a local search and deliver the local results.

Try it now. Go to Google and type in “insurance your city, state”.

What Does Local Search Look Like?

The main three search engines – Google, Yahoo and Microsoft Live – account for over 95% of search traffic. While the top search engine, Google, accounts for 76% of that, leaving the rest for Microsoft and Yahoo.

Below is a sample of how Local Search results appear in the top three search engines. As you can see from these screen shots, local search results are prominently displayed and often include a phone number and customer reviews.

Web 3.0 and Local Search

The future of local search is bright. The search engines want to deliver the most accurate and personalized search results, and delivering results that are localized often increases relevance to the searcher.

You may her chatter about the future of the internet and Web 3.0. Some people are undecided as to what this is. I’m going to tell you right now that Web 3.0 is the internet for mobile platforms; the internet on your iPhone, Blackberry or other device. The development is in its infancy right now, but studies have shown one of the top uses of the internet on devices is to look up phone numbers, like a portable Yellow Pages.

The mobile platform search results are almost always localized to the searchers location, sometimes through GPS or through cellular triangulation.

The results delivered are the same as those found on local search.

NOW is the time to position yourself and your agency for the future…

Dominate Your Marketplace!

Michael Jans

PS: If you want specific information on HOW to get #1 ranking on Local Search, please click on “comment” and let me know.  I read ALL comments…and personally consider this to be a MAJOR priority for agents today.  (Imagine that 20 years ago you didn’t know what Yellow Pages is.  That’s the current state of agent knowledge on Local Search.  I PLEDGE to make this work for you.  Let me hear from you.)

PPS: I have a few seats left for The Internet Marketing MegaConference.  Are you ready for this?  Click here for more info: www.insuranceinternetmegaconference.com