As a major search engine, Google has been the leader of the pack for quite some time and their constant innovations with things like Google Places are one of the big reasons why. From search to tools to advertising, the Google brand has expanded to unprecedented levels. And one of the most important changes Google has made in the last year has been with the changes to Google Local or Google Places as it’s now called.

By now I’m sure your familiar with the red pushpin on a map showing the locations of 7-10 of the businesses Google can find near the area you are searching for.  Here is a sample screenshot:

"pizza places Metairie LA" Google search results

You are also by now familar with the map which accompanies these markers:

Google Place Search

The Google Local tools recognize that to capture more regional businesses, there needs to be a simplified way to do it. Local businesses like ours deal with many challenges, from customer service, to product and service development and delivery to payroll. Because regional companies have so much to do, it is hard to focus on specific aspects of our businesses.

Google Local includes Google Place Search, designed to offer much more local content from regional advertisers. What this means for me is that I no longer have to spend my time trying to research and find local keywords, monitor the results, and modify bids for those keywords for my AdWords account.

Impact on Ratings & Reviews

The new Google Local format uses the location concept to find out what people are saying about my business in terms of reviews and ratings. These are two things I rarely had time to focus on in the past. This new tool finds all of that info for me so that I can use it to develop relevant Web content. I can also address the issues that I find by writing to consumers directly, which is something I used to have to pay a person to do for me.

Organic Positioning

The other aspect I really like with Google Local is that I can see the details that a local searching consumer is using to find my products and services. Google Place Search issues rewards to local businesses like mine with organic positioning when it finds complete and accurate content. For example, when it picks up a blog entry or article that I wrote, that info is considered and counts toward a higher placement by the search engine.

Since past attempts at organic positioning was something I wasn’t able to master, the new Google Local and Google Place Search has been a lifesaver in terms of leveraging the benefits of local SEO (search engine optimization) listing and placement. Now I can focus on continuing to build a richer rating and review level using these Google resources – which means my business will grow much more easily.

Apparently internet marketers like us aren’t the only ones who wonder why you still get a new yellow pages book every year even if you don’t ask for it.  In San Francisco, a town often noted for being the first place to pass interesting legislation, the Board of Supervisors voted 10-1 in May to prohibit the distribution of yellow pages except to residents or businesses that want them and have “opted-in.”

Did California get it right this time?

Let’s be honest, it’s 2011 and with the strain on our global resources doesn’t it make sense to limit the unnecessary use of large quantities of materials unless they are really needed?  So while California takes their “green” living a little more seriously than a lot of areas, we have to at least applaud the effort to curtail businesses from handing out huge books that a lot of people don’t want or need anymore.

NEED is probably the operative word in this movement.  I remember a few years ago having a smaller yellow pages book in my truck and thinking it was a cool idea to make the book portable so I could find something while on the road.  But after the last 2 years who DOESN’T have a mobile friendly phone with the ability to “Google” anything you want from the intersection of your choosing (hopefully while at a stop light)?

Marketing implications

This trend toward being digitally mobile will have greater effects than just limiting the distribution of the yellow pages.  But the reality is many businesses will have to face what they’ve probably known for years – that relying on advertising in print publications isn’t going to be enough to effectively market their businesses.

The yellow pages have historically been a tool for driving local marketing efforts.  So what can businesses do to replace that type of exposure?  Here are a few tips for the digital age:

• Claim your “local” business listings on Google, Yahoo & Bing
• Participate in other local directories such as Merchant Circle or Insider Pages
• List your business on review sites like Yelp or Angie’s List
• Optimize your website for local areas and phrases
• Invest in a mobile friendly website
• Learn about new trends in text message marketing

Is the newspaper next?

Every Thursday the local newspaper throws a “freebie” paper in my driveway even though I’m not a paying customer.  I guess they are hoping that I’ll see it, flip through it and maybe become convinced enough to become a subscriber.  They had better not do this in San Francisco or the newspaper might be next on the list!

Over the weekend, I had an interesting discussion with my 53 year old neighbor who still “takes the paper.”  The topic was the newspaper, and how long we thought newspapers would still be tossed in driveways across America.  Watching what’s happening with the internet and mobile devices, it’s hard to imagine that newspapers in their current form last more than another 20 years or so.

And while I have no doubt that the news organizations behind them will last longer than that and serve a critical role in each local community, I’m convinced that the process of delivering their news via paper, trucks and people will evolve sooner rather than later.

We’ll just keep an eye on San Francisco to see when they make newspapers illegal next!

Drive more business with local search

FREE webinar on August 18

WSI is conducting a special webinar on how you can drive more business for your company using local search marketing tactics.

Local searchers are ready to buy. They are searching online looking for the product / service they need and a reputable company to purchase from. Much like how advertisers are moving their marketing dollars from the Yellow Pages to the web, consumers are moving their searches from the Yellow Pages to the Web as well.

In this webinar, you will learn how your business can increase your online visibility through several effective local search marketing techniques to ensure you appear right as customers are looking to purchase your product or service. Make plans to join us for this webinar. Registration details are below.

Topic: Driving Business with Local Search

Date: Wednesday, August 18, 2010 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM EDT

Register: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/288935664