Yellow Pages Group signed a deal with Google to allow its listings to be used in Google Local search for Canada in 2004. Those listings eventually made their way into google map in 2006, and since March 28 of this year, are showing up in the same results column where your typical blue links are displayed after a query.
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On June 2, Google offered up a free dashboard to allow businesses to either claim a listing or add their listing – all for free. And that's going to be the final straw for Yellow Pages, Wilson says.
“I honestly believe the Yellow Pages is doomed,” the CEO of Burlington, Ont.-based says. “They couldn't turn down Google's money, but that was their death sentence.”
Whatever the fate of the Yellow Pages, businesses still must take note of Google's new local listings service. Tapping into your listing and optimizing it can result in a higher ranking in the Google Local results shown to customers searching in your geographic area.
Google knows where people are when they conduct a search by tracing the IP address. It then assumes that for certain searches, that the searcher wants to find a local business. It then displays a grouping of the local options next to a small google maps graphic embedded in the main search results page.
“Local search is an important priority for us, and we're focused on helping businesses be discovered and helping consumers find the right local business,” a Google spokesperson told ITBusiness.ca in an e-mail interview. “One key component of that is thelocal businees center to allow business owners to have control over their listing.”
More than 8 in 10 people usesearch engine to find local businesses, the spokesperson adds.
Here's five tips from Wilson and RankHigher.ca to boost your Local listing. For more tips on how to take advantage of Google's service, check out this about Local search.
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