Yes – local search is seen as such a benefit that the spammers have already taken to abusing it. [Editor's Note: We are not going to give any spammer out there any more publicity, and we will try and keep the details of how to do it to a minimum so we don't give anyone ideas.] Basically what ends up happening is that a spammer’s business ends up with a number of listings within a big town, and/or a separate listing for each town within a large geographic area. The spammy part is that the business only has one actual address – not a number of locations like a bank or chain restaurant might have. So the business shows up in local searches, even when they don’t really belong.

What does this do? Well, if you are a competing business it is another competitor you must overcome in order to crack the top listings on local searches in the Google 10 Pack. Is what they are doing illegal? Maybe. Maybe not. Unethical? Most likely. A headache for other businesses? Without a doubt.

It’s always been the case that the internet has a segment of unethical people who try to manipulate the search results to get their sites ranked higher. Eventually, they will get caught…but until then, they cause a lot of strife for other small business owners out there trying to do the right thing.

So what’s a competitor to do? You can try and contact the company and let them know that what they are doing isn’t right. They may be good people and try and take down the listings on their own. On the other hand, you could also report the listings as spam to the search engines. For Google that is here. For Yahoo! that is here: here. That should do it, but with so many listings out there it may take some time to get the problem fixed.

Hope this helps all of you out there that have run into this. Let us know if you have any questions.

Don’t forget to contact your webmaster when you have any information that needs to be modified. You’d be surprised how many places need to be updated! Let’s say you’re moving … well there is the easy place to start which is by emailing all your contacts in your address book or sending a “We’ve Moved” card snail mail style. But don’t stop there!

Your website needs to be updated first and foremost.  Contact pages, contact forms, footers and wherever else your address may be hiding – the webmaster will find it!

Do you have a FaceBook account? Log in and go to the Info tab, you can edit and update your address there.

Don’t forget to update your Google Local Account. This is very important! An old address will result in an incorrect listing. Follow the guidelines below to correct that with Google.

To add or edit a Google Local Listing, click here:  http://www.google.com/local/add.

To edit Google Maps, click here:  http://maps.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=68474#modify

To edit the location of a place, you can switch your view to Satellite and Show Labels. This allows you to move the marker accurately, as you can see both roads and satellite imagery.  After you search for a place, click the appropriate marker.  The info window appears. If the marker is in the wrong location, click Edit. Click Move marker. Click and drag the marker to the correct location. Use the X to help you place the marker. Consider placing it at the entrance of the location, as this helps improve the accuracy of our driving directions. Click Save. Google Maps saves your changes.

If you move the marker more than 200 meters away from its original location, your change appears after further review.

If Google Maps does not allow you to edit a business location, this is because the business owner has already verified information for that business in the Local Business Center. You cannot edit verified listings. If a listed business is yours, claim your business.

Remove a place:

After you search for a place, click the appropriate marker. The info window appears. Click Edit > Remove Place. Choose the reason that Google should remove this place and any comment you have. Click Remove Place. Google will investigate the place you have flagged for removal.

Some of these sites will take time to approve your requests. So, put this as a priority! Make sure you check all your social media sites: MySpace, YouTube, Twitter, FaceBook, Digg … you get the idea. After all, if someone wants to get ahold of you, they want to get ahold of you NOW!

If you type in a non local search query, Google now shows search results related to your IP address  regardless whether you typed in your location or not! What’s even better is that these local search results are pulling in whether you are signed into your Google account or not! Wild. Go ahead, try it out.

For kicks, I typed in “restaurants” into Google. The first 3 results show restaurants.com, zagat.com (reviews of restaurants in major cities) and of course, restaurant.com. Low and behold…guess what comes up next!

In the fourth spot, a Google map appears listing restaurants in the Glens Falls area. These local business listings are known as the “10 Pack” that are based upon your search query and IP. Sometimes, if the locale is off the beaten path, Google may only list the top 3 local places within an IP address.

Even though I didn’t add my location to my search query, Google is customizing my results to where my IP is located in hopes of providing me with even more relevant  information. Google also supplies me with additional restaurants in the 12801 zip code:

Google also gives you the option to change your location to somewhere more specific. By simply clicking on the “change location” link above the 10 Pack listings, you can customize search results for a  broad based search phrase. Type your zip code and you are off!

Does Google only pull in local results for obvious products or services? Answer = No. Try queries such as, “police stations“, “parks“,  or even “dog kennels” and local results will appear among nationally ranked sites. So what?

This new search functionality puts local  businesses on the map whether they are trying to get found or not! For the first time, both national businesses and local businesses are somewhat on the same playing field. With the query “dog kennel” Google gives me the option of shopping for a crate/kennel, reading reviews about kennels, or booking a stay for Fido at Bailey’s Bed and Breakfast in the next town over!

Bottom Line:

• Now more than ever, claiming your local business listing matters. Have you claimed your local Google or Yahoo local listing? Contact us for more information. Get Found locally.
• The long tail does matter. Make sure each web page has fresh content as the engines will either pull a snippet from the Meta data or the web page itself. Getting listed in the “10 Pack” will make you more credible and clickable!
• IP Matters:  Are search engine rankings truly dead? Us marketers have heard this a lot lately. Dead? Maybe not completely cu put…but maybe less relevant now with the onset of  personalized search and intent based search within advertising platforms.

Stay tuned for more buzz about Local search and Google Local Business Listings…

The good news is that with skillful and targeted SEO, you can participate in today’s busy online marketplace no matter how small your business or how basic your website.  Just like with any business, finding success online includes creating a business plan and using that as your guide each step of the way.

There is much you can  do to lend your own sense of style to your site, whether you’re selling goods or creating an informational location. Create copy that reflects your style and flair, newsletters, descriptive images or quality photography that speaks clearly to what you do, sell or offer, or provide steps to your visitor outlining how to call, email, buy, or participate in what you’re offering. What else could you possibly need?

Know when to turn to the professionals for help. With the extraordinary amount of competition out there, getting your business found on the internet may be difficult and not for the faint of heart! Utilizing the services of an internet marketing company like Mannix Marketing, Inc. to get your business off the ground is more than just a good idea – it’s good business.  In addition to complete website design and development services that are the nuts and bolts of any online environment, professional search engine optimization, keyword research and the creation of targeted meta data are the cornerstones of a solid business plan, and something you just can’t do without.

If you are like most small business owners, you love what you do. There is a ton of competition out there, there’s no doubt about it, and in today’s tough economy, cutting the wrong corners can be fatal to your business! Your considerable expertise combined with professional SEO can make the difference in the world when it comes to getting visitors to your site and keeping them there!

So, this new cafe (which opened it’s doors about a month ago) is super cute, has great food and is located within walking distance of where I live. This past weekend, I tried looking up the menu online to show my friend who came in from out of town. Did I mention that I was super excited to bring her here, as it’s a chic little boutique cafe that I just knew she’d love.

Anyways, I ventured over to my trusted search engine, plugged in “glens falls restaurants” and hit enter, waiting for a list to appear. Hmmm, nothing but a laundry list of directories to weed through. Let’s try this again, “glens falls cafes”…nada. I think Am I spelling this wrong? Surely, a brand-spankin’ new restaurant must have a website! After all, what is this – the 1990’s?! Sigh…

I finally gave up and typed in the actual name of the gourmet cafe and found it way down on a long annoying list of restaurant directories. Danggit – no website! Not a very good user experience, that’s for sure.

Getting found locally doesn’t have to be so cumbersome. Luckily, this can all be solved if businesses follow a few quickie tips for getting found locally in the search engines.

Top Local Directories to submit your business, write reviews or rate others:

• Online communities, such as Yelp.com, Saratoga.com (if local) or Albany.com (if local) to review, rate, rant or rave
• Local Directories offering free or fee based listings: InsiderPages.com, CitySquares.com, MojoPages.com, and TrueLocal.com

Submit to Internet Yellow Pages:

• SuperPages.com
• YellowPages.com
• Switchboard.com

Submit to Local Directories in Search Engines:

• List your business/website in the local business section on Google, Yahoo or MSN! It’s free and you are even given the opportunity to add photos or write reviews.

For more information, check out this post by Aaron Wall. Hope this information helps you to locally, get found on the web!