Theme: Marketing a Local Business
Issue 86, January 24, 2004

Dear Friends,

I was amazed to find out that 24% of searches involve local businesses! Wow! This means that the time to promote local businesses via the Internet is now. I've spent nearly 40 hours research the ins and outs of local search and advertising. All this has been included in my 41-page book How to Promote Your Local Businesses on the Internet. If you're a paid subscriber to Web Marketing Today Premium you can download it right now. Otherwise, order your copy right now for a very modest price. Or you can read the contents chapter by chapter below:

Preface

The preface explains who the book is for and what it is designed to do. "This book is designed to be a brief, focused, no-hype how-to-do-it guide to marketing a local business via the Internet." Read the Preface

1. Marketing Your Local Business Starts with Your Website

This isn't a guide to super-duper websites, since many local businesses don't have much competition from other businesses in their community -- yet. But this article does explain what your website needs to do to help you build your local business. It also tells you how to develop a website inexpensively, if you don't already have one. Read Chapter 1.

Local business actually get significant business from the Web these days.

2. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for Local Sites

Since you aren't vying for top ranking with national businesses, you'll be able to get near-top ranking for your local business for search phrases such as "Denver Candy" or "Denver Confectioners" or "Denver Chocolate." Here are the simple steps to preparing your webpages to rank high in local searches. Includes linking strategies with other local businesses. Read Chapter 2.

3. Local Portal Sites

When someone's looking for a local business online, they will probably use a major search engine or one of the newer local portals. Here's a rundown on which of the city guides are most important for advertising, with special focus on CitySearch, AOL CityGuide, Yahoo! Local, and Google Local. Read Chapter 3.

4. Back to the Yellow Pages for Local Business Advertising

Print Yellow Pages are arguably the most important form of advertising for local businesses. Now it's important to look for print/web Yellow Pages packages, with particular focus on SBC SMARTpages.com and Verizon SuperPages.com. A chart indicates the relative importance of Yellow Page websites. Read Chapter 4.

People search for professionals and specialists online, such as dentists, plastic surgeons, attorneys, etc.

5. Local Pay Per Click on Google and Overture

Since more people are searching for local businesses and services, PPC ads on Google and Overture that include local place names can new business leads. Google now offers geotargeting for ads based on IP address and place names in the search keywords used. Chapter explains how to approach this and examples of results for various businesses. It also considers Pay Per Call approaches. Read Chapter 5.

6. Display Your Local Business URL Everywhere

Discusses the obvious -- and not so obvious -- ways to display your URL so that people know they can easily find out about your business. Discusses domain names and signatures. Read Chapter 6.

7. E-Mail Marketing to Existing Local Business Customers

Sending a monthly e-mail newsletter can allow you to market to your best customers regularly so they'll shop more often in your store. Renting local e-mail lists can also help you gain new customers. Read Chapter 7.

8. Resources for Marketing Your Local Business on the Internet

Here are links to articles, ad venues, and marketing services for local online advertising. See the Resources.

Or just purchase the e-book online right now and have this information at your fingertips within a few minutes. The price is right!

New Ecommerce and Web Marketing Articles

Each month our team of link editors scours dozens of online periodicals and resources to find key information on e-commerce and Web marketing. With so much new literature available to you, how do you find what you need quickly and painlessly? Here's a selective and searchable database of article and resource links to help your research and keep you up-to-date in the field. (Links gathered in a given month are usually available during the second week of the following month.)