subject: Businesses Should Replace Traditional Listings With Seo [print this page] Businesses are being urged to consider the digital alternatives to traditional business listings such as the Yellow Pages.
According to search engine optimisation expert Dave Jabas, small and medium-sized enterprises are becoming increasingly disgruntled with the performance of traditional display advertising.
Mr Jabas claimed that consumers actively look for local businesses every single day, but they don't sift through weighty telephone directories in search of a nearby sandwich shop or specialist music store - they go online. Specifically they head to Google, where they can get relevant local business listings in an instant.
He claimed that savvy firms can use Google's free mapping software and tried and tested SEO (search engine optimisation) to get their business to the top of search engine results pages without forking out for costly pay-per-click marketing.
"With local search, businesses show up in front of potential customers right when they need them most - when they're searching," Jabas said.
"It's like getting a free yellow pages ad in the most popular phone book in the world," he added.
He cited recent research from comScore, which found that 83 per cent of local searchers will be followed up with a phone call to the most relevant, high-ranking business displayed.
While a study from Google showed that 90 per cent of people don't leave the first results page displayed following a query - highlighting the importance of recruiting a reputable SEO Company with a proven track record.
However, despite the relatively high cost of paid search, its effects are instant and its popularity shows no sign of waning.
According to new figures released by SearchIgnite, the paid search sector in the US alone grew by 11 per cent in the first quarter of this year when compared to figures for the first three months of 2009.
The firm claimed that local retailers and the travel market were behind the growth in paid search, with the former increasing spending in this area by 26 per cent year-on-year.
For retailers, this amounted to a fifth quarter of growth in pay per click spending.
