Internet Marketing - Matt Bailey [179]
Both Google and Bing allow you to upload business information, phone numbers, hours of operation, pictures, video, and additional information that searchers may need to know. Both Google and Bing will require the business to verify ownership, and this is done through phone verification or through the mail. A verification code will be provided that the business owner uses to confirm they are the owner of the business and manager of the listing. Once that is completed, information can be edited and uploaded.
Figure 15-22: Bing’s Local Listing Center is the place to create or claim your business listing.
Reports are also available of the activity that takes place once the business is listed. This shows how people saw your listing from search queries. There is also a report to show how many people clicked through to your website, clicked through to the map, or requested driving directions (see Figure 15-23). Compare that to a typical Yellow Pages listing! It’s free, and you get activity reports specific to your listing.
Additionally, applications made for smartphones are changing the way businesses are marketed locally. This takes the reliance away from a typical search engine session, because users can use an app such as Yelp (see Figure 15-24) to find restaurants, stores, attractions, and other businesses based on their current location, rather than from a computer. Results are returned to the searcher based on their distance from the destinations.
Figure 15-23: Local listing report from Google Places
Figure 15-24: The Yelp app searches near you for local businesses.
Similarly, local searches have taken on a completely new aspect for mobile users. One personal example is from a recent trip to New York City. I was speaking at a two-day training class, and my throat was hurting already in the middle of day one. I am loyal to the Vocalzone brand of throat lozenges, and they can be difficult to find. I typed in Vocalzones into the search engine on my iPhone search engine, and I found out everything I needed about the company and the product. However, there were no available results that helped me to find the product and which stores carried it Manhattan. On a whim, I typed Vocalzones into Google Maps on the iPhone. Immediately, three locations were displayed, the nearest of which was four blocks away (see Figure 15-25). The walking directions took me there, and I was able to search, find, and purchase my throat lozenges during the lunch break.
This is the new frontier of searching. Location-based technology makes it easier than before to find that hidden restaurant that everyone recommends. Step-by-step directions point us in the correct way in any city, and we are able to find our destination.
Figure 15-25: Google Maps showing where to find the store that carries the product I searched for
Mobile-Specific Opportunities
The release of the iPhone, Android platform, Windows phones, and other smartphones has enabled users to easily access the Web from any location and has clearly affected browsing habits. Applications (apps) that can be downloaded to these devices offer specialized information that is easily accessible.
Using Mobile Apps
Businesses are finding amazing ways of utilizing mobile applications by providing immediate access to information. In addition to the “around me” or “nearby” searches discussed already, some of the mobile developments include the following:
Theaters that allow people to purchase tickets through their smartphone and show the scan code at the entrance.
Banks that provide a mobile interface with easy access to the specific options that mobile bank members need. Mobile users do not have to struggle through the web interface and are able to easily accomplish specific tasks.
News sites that provide a mobile interface to scores and headlines. This allows mobile users to quickly get the information they need in clean and mobile format.
Airlines and hotels provide apps for easy booking features