In an article posted in June of 2010, Local Search industry experts ranked 69 factors that influence a business's local search ranking, and the "General Importance of Customer Reviews" came in at #6. So reviews are pretty important, from a technical, SEO standpoint.
From a business image standpoint, reviews are important as well. All of the major local listings (Google, Bing, Yahoo, Yelp, etc.) provide a means for customers to leave reviews. It's a perfect example of the Web 2.0 concept, where users are creating… Read More

The search engine rankings for the U.S. in November were recently released by comSore, and for the 16.0 Billion searches performed in November, the rankings are as follows:
Google: 66.2% Yahoo: 16.4% Microsoft: 11.8% Ask: 3.6% AOL: 2.0% (Source: "comScore Releases November 2010 U.S. Search Engine Rankings")

What does this mean for small businesses trying to get found online?

1) You have to be on Google. This is obvious, as Google is dominating… Read More

A recent article found here quoted Microsoft as having recently said that 53% of mobile searches have local intent. The article also points out that 70% of mobile users complete their search tasks (ie search for something, go find/buy/use that thing) in about an hour. That's a quick turn-around from prospective customer to buying customer.
What does this mean for small businesses? In order to capture this mobile search traffic, businesses need to have map listings on the search engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo). They need… Read More

Another update in the world of online search: Microsoft Bing will now incorporate Facebook information in its search results. See the full story here.

What does this mean?

1) Bing is making moves. While they're currently third in search traffic behind Google and Yahoo, moves like this will help them gain a little more of the search engine traffic. Especially considering Facebook's 500 million+ users. 2) Facebook business listings gained importance. With Facebook information now showing up in Bing… Read More

The importance of optimizing and managing your business' map listings on Google, Bing, Yahoo, & others is undeniable.  Here is a great article describing why simply claiming your listing isn't enough -- it's just a first step towards a better local search ranking.

see: http://www.searchenginejournal.com/claiming-local-business-listing-is-only-the-beginning/24595/

Sound out of your league?  Let Localis handle it. We will create, optimize, and manage your business' local listings, and you'll start… Read More

While Google Map listings remain dominant, this announcement shows that Bing is staying active in the race. Does your business have a Bing Map Listing? If not, mobile windows phone users won't be able to find you. Contact Localis and we'll optimize your map listing for front page results. www.mylocalis.com  Read More