Precisely target customers who search online but purchase locally

The hottest new trend to hit search engine marketing is local search. Local search is primarily beneficial for businesses that want to drive people to actual physical stores or other places of businesses. For example, if you operate a retail store or restaurant, then local search is a means by which you can market your physical store location.

Local search boasts many benefits over the traditional print directories, such as the Yellow Pages™. The local search listings are highly interactive and offer features such as maps and driving directions, email location to a friend, and more.

Local Sponsored Search listings enable you to drive customers from the Web to your door—whether your business has a Web site or not. You can precisely target prospects searching online for products and services available in your neighborhood, and connect with customers who are already interested in what you sell.

 

New England Online recommends listing in the following Local Directories

• Yahoo Local Search
• Verizon Super Pages
• City Search
• Microsoft Small Business Directory

Yahoo Local Sponsored Search features a Locator page, which provides prospects with information about your business, including address, phone number, store hours and a map of your location. In addition, if your business has a Web site, your main Web page will be displayed along with the Locator page.

To get started, you write a description that accurately describes the products and services you offer and bid on keywords that apply to your business. You also determine the size of the area (ranging from 0.5- to 100-mile radius around your location) from which you want to draw customers.

How Local Sponsored Search Works

• Customers that are interested in your area or neighborhood go to a search site like Yahoo! and search for a product or service you offer.
• Your listing appears. Customers click on it.*
• Your Locator page appears, displaying your address, store hours, a map and other customized information. If your business has a Web site, your Web site will be displayed along with the Locator page.
  
  

  Benefits of Local Sponsored Search

  Precisely Targeted	Promote your business within a geographic range you determine.
  Cost-Effective	With Local Sponsored Search listings you pay only when a customer clicks on your local listing and there is no monthly minimum.
  Customized	When customers click on your Local listing they see your Locator page with customized information about your business and a map to your location. If you have a Web site, your Web site will also be displayed.

  Types of businesses that can benefit from Local Sponsored Search

  • Small businesses (with or without a Web site) that want to target customers searching online for local providers of goods and services and drive them to their physical store location
  • Service-based businesses, such as plumbers or real estate agents, looking to drive phone calls for service
  • Regional businesses looking to target customers interested in products and services in their neighborhood
  • Large businesses wanting to drive customers to their Web site and /or a physical store locations.