Local business not yet quite fully grasping local search

The domain names tell the story :)

[Webwork]

I recently went on a domain name hunting expedition for geotargeted, vertical market domain names. I was surprised to find some rather nice geotargeted, service industry specific domains sitting there, waiting for someone to pony up their credit card and to love them. I did and I do.

I first approached the geotargeted domain name market, quite successfully, about 7 years ago, picking up a number of State level domains related to my profession. Those domains have paid handsome dividends over the years, search engine love or not. They're natural type-in or direct navigation domains, so when the search engines look askance people - often very focused people - still come calling.

Based upon my most recent domain safari I must report that local businesses are still not quite geting it.

The domain names that are unclaimed say it all.

Oh well . . they aren't unclaimed any more. :)

[gldnratio]

I was reading an article on why it's not as important to pick up keyword domains to that of soon to be branded domains. Sorry I dont have a source link but it might have been with something on SEO work done for overture.

[Webwork]

When it comes to a domain based approach to webmarketing you might want to talk to someone with some actual, in depth experience, not just writing skills. :-P

You might want to email the writer and ask him/her how many years they've been in the business and how many personally registered domain names form the basis of their opinion. Just for the heck of it.

Domain names, being as cheap as they are - as is web hosting - it simply makes no sense to argue against adding a domain based strategy to any webmarketing plan. If 10 domain names cost you $100/year and those 10 domain names get you 1 lead that converts each year, a lead that is worth $110.00 you are ahead in the game. Chances are the leads that are in play will be worth more than $110.00. Almost anyone advertising in the yellowpages is in pursuit of leads worth a lot more than that. Still, those same advertisers have been sitting on the sidelines, clueless I guess.

A domain based strategy makes a great deal of sense unless you are in the business of selling clicks. :)

[edited by: Webwork at 2:53 pm (utc) on July 5, 2006]

[inbound]

It's not just domains that point to a lack of understanding of local search by the people it would benefit the most.

Missing out addresses on websites, not actually putting up decent descriptions of services offered, not utilising PPC effectively...

There are a few people on here trying to change that (offering solutions through larger companies) but it's going to be a long time before a sizable chunk of small businesses 'get it'.

Another group of companies that don't understand local search are some of the printed business directory and media companies that should be reaping huge benefits from it.

Trying to shift a multibillion dollar company is a nightmare, without them the little guys will not see local search as important (even though it does not take movement by the YP sector to make it important).

Roll on the revolution.

P.S. I'm off to check for verticals you may have missed ;)