Many of the searches on Google are local searches. For a small portion of the expense of other advertising media, you can advertise for local customers with Google. There are times that this method will reach more customers than Yellow Page ads; you can trace your Google ads more easily and it is much more cost effective than mailers and fliers.
The Kelsey group reports that of the millions of internet searches 60 percent are local. Others estimate that it is as many as 75 percent, but even if the percentage was only 20 that is still a whole boatload of searches targeted at locals.
However the numbers work out, local search is doubtlessly the best underused option for managing your PPC.
You want to sell weight loss plans, MP3 downloads, high definition TVs, or mortgages nationwide on Google? You can do it, but you’d better strap on your gladiator helmet and prepare for a fight.
Yet if you are a chiropractor, automotive shop, carpet layer or landscaper, you are prime to be victorious. Your competition is more than likely uneducated in internet marketing strategy.
This is also a great place to consult, setting up campaigns for neighboring businesses, because it’s so undeserved. Think about it:
Some businesses are paying out a thousand dollars a month for Yellow Pages ads. They are already spending the money.
The representatives for Yellow Pages also sell Internet Yellow Pages listings, this helps make businesses more aware of internet marketing. However these reps are not selling Google or Yahoo ads.
Because there are so many existing opportunities to see to, companies such as Google are not likely to be putting salesmen on the street to market pay-per-click to local businesses any time soon. (Murmurs of deals with Yellow Pages companies have been heard though.)
If you are dealing with a category where mail-order in not possible and the items must be gotten locally, then the clicks are cheap. Check this out. If you search for ‘brake shop’ in Chicago only 6 ads will come up, and one is for E-bay. Do I hear a bid for nickel clicks?
Local advertisers who are “knowing” about internet marketing are not thick on the ground. That is not likely to be changing soon. The difference between online commerce, and retail sales, is a great gulf. You have hear “In the land of the blind, the man with one eye gets to be king”, that surely applies here.
If you can embrace the certainty that a good portion of your keyword will only get a few local clicks per month, then the ROI (return on investment) on the clicks you do get is exceptional.
Related posts: