Local Search: A Solved Consumer Problem
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by Matthew Berk
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It pains me to say it, but local search is a solved consumer problem.
I�m in pain admitting this, because I�ve been trying to create better
local search mousetraps since 2003.
Put simply, major search engines do a good enough job of surfacing
local listings and phone numbers to consumers who need a specific
product or service at a moment in time. The rest of the local search
�opportunity,� beyond the one or two review aggregator sites lucky
enough to also pop up�is all a matter of either SEO (indefensible) or
arbitrage (sinking margins). In other words, consumers have accepted
the solution the web search engines provide to them, not because it
solves the problem in the best possible way, but because they have
built intractable habit. Better local search, grounded in innovative
product or technology, has little or no opportunity to break the
habits the engines reinforce day in, day out, across billions of
searches. The battle has been won.
Worse, for the local business, participation in the local result set
is not only far beyond their control (show me a plumber effectively
competing with YellowBot or Yelp on Google), but a consumer�s very
decision-making process is mediated by the sites that control the most
content about that business (the review aggregators). This state of
affairs is an artifact of the SEO game, in which the plumber can�t
hope to compete against the aggregators, often even for specific name
and location searches.
So where can a die-hard local search junkie turn to scratch the itch
of their burning faith in the local space? To the local business, for
whom, I�d argue, local search represents more problems than solutions.
The real problem that�s now worth solving is to turn the data set,
technology and techniques of consumer-oriented local search to the
benefit of the local business.
Last month, my colleague Eric Souder wrote about the value of rich,
relevant content on a business�s web site
<http://searchengineland.com/content-is-not-only-king-its-the-key-to-conversions-26613>
, and the importance of marketing that content appropriately. I�d
take this one step further to say that it�s imperative local
businesses be just as vigilant and knowledgeable about all of the
other places that information is listed across the web, if not more
so. Often, a business� digital footprint is growing without them even
knowing it, not just through the propagation of often semi-accurate
business details (data), but through reviews and other user generated
content (opinion).
I used to claim that the future of local search was data mining, but
I think I had it only half right. The future of local search is to
leverage data mining to aggregate, summarize, and expose the full
digital footprint of a local business, for two explicit purposes:
To improve marketing. Learning how a business is talked about by the
specific terms it is known for, or where spikes in online activity
such as sales or consumer reviews occur, can determine which marketing
efforts are working well versus those that are not.
To improve operations. Monitoring customer feedback can raise
awareness of customer service issues or other unknown problems within
the business that perhaps wouldn�t have otherwise been flagged.
At Marchex, we�re calling this problem set reputation management, and
we�re looking forward to turning local search back on its head,
putting information advantage back in the hands of the local business.
Opinions expressed in the article are those of the author, and not
necessarily Search Engine Land.
Matthew Berk <http://searchengineland.com/author/matthew-berk/>
is the Executive Vice President of Product Engineering for Marchex
<http://www.marchex.com>
, a leading local search and advertising company that provides
innovative online and call-based advertising products and services for
local and national advertisers and advertising resellers.
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