Comments on: Local Internet Search – The pages don’t get it YET! http://blog.dinkuminteractive.com/local-internet-search-the-pages-dont-get-it-yet/ SEO, PPC and Social Media Marketing Fri, 23 Jul 2010 18:24:05 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.2 hourly 1 By: Local Search growing pains, pains me. | Philadelphia SEO Internet Marketing http://blog.dinkuminteractive.com/local-internet-search-the-pages-dont-get-it-yet/comment-page-1/#comment-6163 Local Search growing pains, pains me. | Philadelphia SEO Internet Marketing Thu, 17 Jan 2008 15:51:30 +0000 http://blog.dinkuminteractive.com/local-internet-search-the-pages-dont-get-it-yet/#comment-6163 [...] ask myself whether or not “growing” should be included. I’m going to expand on a previous post on this blog that looked at Local Search and want to shed some light from both a user and an advertisers [...] [...] ask myself whether or not “growing” should be included. I’m going to expand on a previous post on this blog that looked at Local Search and want to shed some light from both a user and an advertisers [...]

]]> By: Bob Gertz http://blog.dinkuminteractive.com/local-internet-search-the-pages-dont-get-it-yet/comment-page-1/#comment-6045 Bob Gertz Tue, 20 Nov 2007 18:01:48 +0000 http://blog.dinkuminteractive.com/local-internet-search-the-pages-dont-get-it-yet/#comment-6045 I've just about given up on local search....it's easier on Google (not Maps, regular) and I continue to get decent results the more specific I make it. This is why people need to consider localizing the SEO information on their sites. I’ve just about given up on local search….it’s easier on Google (not Maps, regular) and I continue to get decent results the more specific I make it. This is why people need to consider localizing the SEO information on their sites.

]]> By: Chris Silver Smith http://blog.dinkuminteractive.com/local-internet-search-the-pages-dont-get-it-yet/comment-page-1/#comment-6038 Chris Silver Smith Mon, 19 Nov 2007 16:40:04 +0000 http://blog.dinkuminteractive.com/local-internet-search-the-pages-dont-get-it-yet/#comment-6038 Rick, of course you're right! A solid database of business listings is table stakes for both IYPs and Local Search sites. As a consumer, it's frustrating to me, too, when I go to any of these sites and cannot locate the info I'm trying to find. This is something none of us have solved yet, and I find the same issues with Google Maps, too. Listing Quality is a surprisingly complex issue, which is why not a single IYP or Local Search Engine out there has solved it yet. None of the data aggregators have perfect databases. (InfoUSA has really great methods for culling/updating info - by having humans call each and every number once per year - but they're pretty restricted in what you can do with their data and pretty pricey, too. Even they don't have perfect data, though.) It's hard to get new businesses into the databases sometimes, and it's even harder to get stale info out. In any case, once you get past the foundational listing data which everyone has, how do you differentiate beyond that? I think that's the question that everyone is working upon. Every single one of these companies likely has ongoing projects to continuously improve data quality, so there's no reason for them to all sit around on their hands ignoring the other end of the equation -- how to differentiate and stay competitive. Rick, of course you’re right!

A solid database of business listings is table stakes for both IYPs and Local Search sites.

As a consumer, it’s frustrating to me, too, when I go to any of these sites and cannot locate the info I’m trying to find. This is something none of us have solved yet, and I find the same issues with Google Maps, too.

Listing Quality is a surprisingly complex issue, which is why not a single IYP or Local Search Engine out there has solved it yet. None of the data aggregators have perfect databases. (InfoUSA has really great methods for culling/updating info – by having humans call each and every number once per year – but they’re pretty restricted in what you can do with their data and pretty pricey, too. Even they don’t have perfect data, though.)

It’s hard to get new businesses into the databases sometimes, and it’s even harder to get stale info out.

In any case, once you get past the foundational listing data which everyone has, how do you differentiate beyond that? I think that’s the question that everyone is working upon. Every single one of these companies likely has ongoing projects to continuously improve data quality, so there’s no reason for them to all sit around on their hands ignoring the other end of the equation — how to differentiate and stay competitive.

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