Ok so small businesses in Maine have all kinds of reasons to ignore search engine marketing, and though I’m sure I disagree with 99% of them, I can understand where these folks are coming from. Most search engine stuff in fairly inaccesible, esoteric and confusing to the non-geek crowd. But the internet is evolving so rapidly, and we’re coming up fast to where ALL businesses need to focus- Local Search.
One of the biggest excuses for businesses to not spend money on internet marketing is the local nature of their market. Why would a plumber in Calais need to have a website? Who on earth is going to search that on Google?
Well, something like 60% of the population, if statisticians are correct. People are already using the internet to search for ways to spend money in their communities, even if the technology is not exactly geared for it yet. Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft are going crazy to be first to hit paydirt with local search, and there are some exciting products out there now. Google Local, Yahoo! Local and MSN City Guide, and now Google Base, a gigantic classified ad for the universe. These are just the first wave of a massive onslaught of local search tools, and I can tell you that there will be plenty of yellow pages to throw on the fire as this trend continues.
So what can a local company do? Get listed on every one of these things. They’re all free, and though it entails a lot of form filling, you can be assured that your competitors are probably there already. Yahoo! Local features a rating system that allows customers to write reviews of your services or products, which makes it a great tool for people visiting the area to learn about businesses. And even if you’re skeptical about getting new customers this way, it’s important to pay attention, because someone may be writing really bad things about you there. (Your business is probably listed on Yahoo! Local, they have scoured a bunch of information from existing Yellow Pages and interent directories)
Google Local and Google Base are both free also, Google Base is so new I’m not sure what the overall benefit will be, but it is definately one more avenue for getting your business known in cyberspace.