Local Biz Bits
Local Search Marketing Information for Small Business

Yokl’d is a “Best Of” local business ranking social platform that is 100% compiled and commented on by users. The idea behind Yokl’d is simple, the more times a business gets voted for, or against, the higher or lower in the Yokl’d rankings it will be listed.

Below are a few of the features that Yokl’d provides users:

• Build a personal list of favorite businesses for reference and sharing amongst peers
• Discover great businesses that are constantly being added by the Yokl’d community
• Rank local businesses across multiple categories with the simple 1-click voting process
• Interact and follow Friends & Family to get “Best Of” recommendations
• Post, review and rank positive or negative comments for each listing
• And a lot more…

Yokl’d provides aspects of social networking and business ranking not seen in other top local search sites such as Yelp! and CitySearch. Whether you need to find a great restaurant for a night out on the town or a new hair stylist, Yokl’d is quickly becoming the premier solution for the discriminating consumer, business traveler or weekend connoisseur.

(This update was provided by Jay Mallinckrodt)  Thanks Jay!

Q. Where do you get your listings from, what database/sources?
A. We obtain our listings from several different sources. The bulk of our listings have come from Acxiom, but we do have several other sources from which we obtain listing information. The fact that we are powered by Network Solutions also provides us access to a significant small business client base that can benefit from getting listed on ThinkLocal.com. We have key platform integrations with the Network Solutions account manager and the Search Engine Visibility product which includes a ThinkLocal Enhanced listing as part of the package.

Q. When I searched for my business, could not find it, why?
A. In order to be found within our listings you would have to either be included in the Acxiom database or opted into a ThinkLocal listing directly from our site or through some of our other submission channels with Network Solutions. Right now we provide two primary methods of finding business listings. We have a keyword search for users to enter in phrases like ‘pizza’ or ‘lawyers’ and get a set of results back based off of our algorithm. Our second type of search is the business name search that allows you to search for specific businesses if you are already familiar with their name.

We have some exciting new developments that will be released in the next month. We are focusing on the presentation of all of the local information that we have and putting it together in a much more user friendly manner. Our homepage, search results, and business profile pages will all have new designs and layouts that are geared towards usability and ensuring we are highlighting the information people come to look for from our site. The search results page in particular will have a cleaner look while at the same time offering users more functionality for finding the business information they are looking for. It will be easier than it ever was before to find local business information using our website. So stay tuned to the site over the next month, we will be rolling out some exciting changes in April.

Q. Why should a small business use ThinkLocal?
A. A small business should use ThinkLocal as piece of their overall, online marketing puzzle. Getting listed on our website isn’t going to be the end all marketing solution for your small business, but it does play an important role in increasing your online visibility. Driving traffic and getting more eyes to your business information is essential in helping your business to succeed. The level of targeting that you can achieve through local search and local business listings, such as the options we have on ThinkLocal, provides small businesses with a captive audience who is more likely to convert into a phone call, a store visit, or even a sale. Moreover, our clients have access to statistic reports that show how many times their business listing is being viewed by our users. Plus, for those with Enhanced listings, we give them additional reports on how many clicks their listing received as well as what keywords brought up their listing. That type of information can help any business determine what phrases they should target to drive the most relevant visitors to their business.

In addition, a business listing on our site is a great way for brick and mortar businesses to take that first step to having an online presence. The majority of small businesses do not have a significant online presence, if one at all. Signing up for one of our Standard or Enhanced listings and customizing your business profile page is a simple way for these businesses to start exploring the online space and hopefully get leads to grow their business. Being powered by Network Solutions also sets us apart from nearly ever other local search because we have all of the end to end solutions to help small businesses get online. Getting a business listing on ThinkLocal is an important step, but our small business clients can also benefit from the online solutions we offer whether it is a domain name, website hosting, design, or online marketing.

Q. Where do you see local search going?
A. Local search is an exciting space right now and will continue to be in the forefront of where search is heading. When the internet started, it was thought of as a means to access and communicate information all over the world. While we still have that ability, people now are using the power of the internet to see what is going on in their environment, where they live. More and more people will want instant access to the businesses, events, weather, and other happenings in their local area. And with the increasing mobile device capabilities, that instant access is becoming more widespread than ever. As a result, the importance of quality local search will only continue to grow and play a role in the way our society and business behaves.

Thanks for your time Julia.

Today we are happy to have Julia Dalton Manager, Marketplace & Directory Services from ThinkLocal.com

Q.Tell us a little about yourself.
A. I began my experience in the internet industry working for MonsterCommerce, an Ecommerce company that is now part of Network Solutions. My background is focused mainly in online marketing and product development, particularly with search engine and directory related properties. Search and online marketing fascinate me because they are constantly evolving and changing, making this industry a challenging but exciting space to be in.

Q. What is ThinkLocal?
A. ThinkLocal is a local search engine that has over 17 million business listings in addition to local weather, maps and directions, local events, city spotlights, and business reviews.

We introduced the site in April 2006 with the goal of providing a good launching pad to getting online for many small businesses that do not yet have an online presence, which is a large percentage of the business population. It can also be an option for businesses that are already online to come, sign up for one of our listings, and enhance their online visibility.

Q. What costs are involved? (Standard vs. Enhanced listing?)
A. There is no cost to obtain a Standard listing on ThinkLocal, it is completely free. With a Standard listing you have the ability to manage your business information, including adding captions and a long description of your business and services. Additionally, your listing will show up among the regular search results for relevant searches to your business and category.

We offer an option for businesses to increase their visibility in our search results by purchasing an Enhanced listing. With an Enhanced listing, you have all of the same benefits as a Standard listing; however, your listing will show up in our featured sections of our search results. Business owners can select their package based off of the geo targeting and category options they choose to advertise within. For example, a plumber in Saint Louis who only services Saint Louis City may only want his enhanced listing to display for plumbing related searches in Saint Louis City to maximize the effectiveness of his ad. We give businesses those options to choose what target audience they want to impact with their ads. You can find more information about our Advertising options by going here.

Q. Do you submit info the business data anywhere?
A. At this time we do not submit our business information to any additional search engines or directories. Our goal is to get our small business clients as much traffic and visibility as possible, so working with other local directories or search engines is something we may look at in the future. However right now, our focus is providing the best experience for users we can on ThinkLocal.com.

Q. Reverse Yellow Pages -what is that?
A. Reverse Yellow Pages is basically a search that provides the ability to find business information, essentially in the opposite way in which people tend to think of finding businesses. Say, for example, you only have the phone number of a business but not the address, or you have the address but cannot remember the name of the business. A Reverse Yellow Page lookup will enable you to put in the phone number or address of a business and find the listing you were looking for with all of the information you need. It is simply another tool for us to offer to assist our users in locating the business information they are looking for.

to be continued….

Today I have the privilage of speaking with John A.Manning, SVP Business Development of GenieKnows.

Q. Can you tell us a little about yourself?
 A. My background is in Clinical Therapy and Educational Psychology which I practced as a private practioner until 2004.I am one of the founding partners of Genieknows.com which we started in 1999. At present I am the SVP of Business Development and my Barb is the CEO and President.
 
Q. What is Genieknows? How long has it been around?
A. Genieknows.com is an online Advertising Network that offers national and international premium traffic to advertisers or their  agents. At present our network of global publishers provides about 1.6 billion searches or queries per month from USA, Canada,Western Europe and UK,Pacific Rim countries, Australia,Hong Kong, Taiwan to name a few.

We provide geo targeting so advertisers can select where and when they want their ads to be seen. We have patent pending state of the art fraud detection techniques to protect our advertsers campaigns. What we have done most recently, in addition to offering results in wide range of search keywords, is focus on certain niche areas, particularly Games, Health, and of course Local Search.
 
Q. How can a small business use Genieknows to help promote their business, increase their online visibility?
A. Genieknows allows small and medium  size  businesses to have greater control over their ads and hence their potential market like they can not do with the larger search engines. We work personally and closely with advertisers on the phone, in real time to make sure they are having their needs met and not being victimized and losing money.

Our Local Search tools are part of the neighborhood for both the merchant and the purchaser, making the business of buying and selling user friendly and simple like it should be. People live in neighborhoods not “big cities”; they shop in neighborhoods, they visit “areas” for business and pleasure. They want to know the businesses and services that are there;and the businesses want to know their customers and what they want. Genieknows Local makes all that really easy and pleasant. Businesses have visibility and become part of the shoppers mental road map for goods.
 
Q. What is Genieknows Local?
A. Local.Genieknows.com is only one of three local search engines that provides results for all the USA and Canada; the other two are Google and MSN. Genieknows Local is a way of thinking and doing business that makes sense to merchants and shoppers. It provides tools and functionalities unlike any other local search  engine because it allows you to organize space and services like you want and need to do which may be different for someone else.
 
Q. Where does Genieknow Local gets its info? Any particular database(s) you use?
A. All of our patent pending technology is developed in house; we have our own research department and do our own crawling of the web.
 
Q. How can a small business get listed with Genieknows local?
A. Any size business can get listed with Genieknows local by simply going to our site and signing up as an advertiser or emailing me directly jmanning@genieknows.com  
 
Q. Where do you see local search going in the near future?
A. Local search is the future. 90% of people shop where they live and use services within a fairly consistent radius; so it make sense that as we improve the searching  search quality and personalization people will continue to flock to the market through the local vehicle.
 
Q. Anything else you would like to say about Genieknows or Genieknows Local?
A. We are extremely proud of what we have been able to achieve in this  industry since we are a very small, privately owned family business. We believe that if people set their minds to things, they can make things happen, dispite being small individuals; when the individuals come together they are a force to be reckoned with even against the Goliaths out there.

We believe this at Genieknows; that is why we need your readers to go to the site, use it and send us feedback so we can continue to improve it and personalize it for them and tell their friends about The Little Engine That Did.

Thank you John for your time and LocalBizBits readers, head over there and take a look.

When everyone is speaking /writing about local search engines, usually they mean Google and Yahoo, but what about Local.com?  They seemed to be in the news every other week last year,  (check out their press releases) and just recently this year - Local.com Wins Hitwise U.S. Top Ten Award. 

I get my clients listed there and from what I have seen, heard, and reviewed, Local.com is pretty good. They are one of the top players in local search.

So…my questions to you are:
Do you use Local.com?
Do you think they are a big player in local search?
Do you like what they are doing?

Look forward to your input.

Paul O’Brien sent me a note, letting me know about some exciting news at Zvents:

“Zvents is releasing today (Jan 28, 2008) Federated Local Search. The blended experience will combine all facets of local content into one SERP: business listings, movies, restaurants, events, sales, performers/celebrities (in town), sports, etc.”

From what I have read and seen, it looks pretty cool. You can read the press release, here.   Thanks Paul.

The conclusion of our interview with Jay Mallinckrodt  of Yokld.com

Q. How are businesses added to the system?  via individuals? via on-line databases?
A. Any business can be added by any member of the Yokld user community at any time. At this point we have opted not to purchase a local database since we want the content to only include the user communities favorite local businesses.

Q. I have done a bit of searching through Yokld and I keep getting the message “Sorry, no businesses could be found that meet your filter criteria”…  
A. Since Yokld is being built out based on user generated content some geographic locations don’t have businesses added for them yet.  As the user base grows the content will grow exponentially with the community.

Q. How many businesses do you currently have in the database.
A. The Yokld user community, since November 2007, have added over 1,450 of their favorite business to Yokld.

Q. How is this any different from Yelp?
A.

• One click ranking vs Yelp’s traditional five-star rating system. 
• Yokld site is cleaner - free of the clutter that is incorporated into every page of Yelp results.
• The best businesses, based on user feedback, are easier to identify and review
• Yokld’s functionality that allows users to share and recommend their favorite business via email this listing and page (Beta Version)
• Additionally, in the Beta release, businesses in a users profile will be sortable by City/St, Business Type ( i.e. eat, drink, travel, etc..) and Category so that friends and family can find the “Best” local businesses that I have recommended.

Q. Why do you think Yokld will work and/or survive?
A. 

• Yokld provides an alternative local solution where users can check the validity of other sites rating and comments.
• Continued growth of local search and the need for alternative quick, easy, and effective solutions.
• Social networking adoption and Yokld’s future (Beta Release) of friends features that will provide a forum for local business recommendations between friends.
• At this point the business has been bootstrapped by myself and two other founders.  Therefore, our overhead is very low which will allow us to be nimble in our efforts to grow organically.  We are in the initial process or raising money which would fund additional technology/site development and marketing.

Q. Where do you see local search going in 2008?
A. We believe that the local search market has great potential in 2008 with;

• The continued transition of ad spending to the Internet
  • Local search ad spending projected to be $4.1 billion by 2011. Veronis Suhler Stevenson, August 2007
• Increased user adoption of the Internet as a means to find local business information.
  • Out of the 130 million monthly unique users of Yahoo last year, 116 million of them came to Yahoo with local intent. Hilary Schneider, Executive Vice President, Global Partnership Solutions, Yahoo!
• User need and usage of alternative sites to validate local businesses ( i.e. Yokld’s ranking process and comments)
  • 60% of all local business searches now happen online (33% happen in print yellow pages) and 82% of the people using local search sites follow up their research with offline action.TMP Directional Marketing-comScore, August 2007

* Above stats compiled by SearchEngineLand
  
While local search may be a tough market we believe that even a niche market adoption of Yokld can provide our user community an extremely useful service.  Just think about how many people ask their friends for a restaurant, bar, doctor, etc. recommendation — with Yokld users can easily access their friends Yokld profile and get the same local business recommendation.

Thank you Jay for your time and best of luck with Yokld.com