In one of the first posts here on SBS, I said that I thought local search would be an important theme as we go along. And I still feel that way.
Just as many small business owners want to stop spending so much money on the yellow pages and move their marketing dollars to the web, studies suggest that shoppers and information seekers are choosing the web over the yellow pages in greater frequency. With that in mind, I believe local search offers a great opportunity for small businesses (especially) to reach customers on the web. And those of you who take advantage of this opportunity sooner, rather than later, have the best chance to win in the end.
The purpose of this guide is to introduce small business owners to the different local search products and marketing opportunities offered by each of the main search engines. I’ll do my best to keep the material up-to-date, and I invite you to help me stay informed by emailing matt [at] smallbusinesssem.com with any new discoveries or corrections you find appropriate. You can also use that email for questions you may have!
