Local Search & Online Reviews

[Logan]

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/product...-reviews_N.htm

Local listing sites are showing dramatic growth. Traffic at Google Maps is up 25% year to year. Relative newcomer Yelp, founded in 2004, is up 129%.

This article goes into some details about the benefits (and pitfalls) of promoting your business with online reviews within the local search engines. Anyone else on board with this?

[juliousfay]

I am not sure whether there are some regular or large number of users using local search engine.

[BeTheBest]

Keeping up with your reviews and learning what other people are saying is critical. After all, who uses the phone book anymore? Just do a search on a company or service and you know if it's online its going to show up.

People research what they are looking for. Like any other part of your business, you have to stay on top of what others are saying.

[radiogirl]

I think smart business owners are the ones who are catching on and getting online - they may not be ahead of the consumers but they'll at least have a chance of getting in on the conversation and taking a leadership role.

What is being said about you online should not come as a surprise if you can help it.

[OC CPA]

I need some advice on getting on to the first page of the Google local search. Can anyone point me in the right direction. I wonder the traffic of this compared to organic traffic. Thanks.