Yahoo! Local has added a new feature. Neighbors allows Yahoo! Local users to connect with other people in their neighborhoods to discuss issues of local importance.

The great thing about this addition is that none of the other Yahoo! Local services are degraded by its addition. You can use Neighbors to connect with people in your area who care about the same local issue and through those connections, develop relationships deeper and attract more business. It’s called indirect marketing.

Whether you list your business in a specific category through Yahoo! Local or list in the CityGuide, Yahoo! Local makes it easier for local businesses to find clients and the addition of Neighbors is just one more way to connect with potential customers and build local relationships.

If you have a local business and you want to advertise online, there are two essential resources that you should be familiar with. You will have to list your business with Google Local and Yahoo! Local. These are starting places, however.

Other essential local advertising resources include CitySearch, and other local advertising directories. You should check to see if your local community has a directory. If not, then list your business with Google Local and Yahoo! Local. You can also advertise in niche directories are specific to your business. Why would you do this?

You would advertise your local business in niche industry directories because related, noncompetitive businesses can lead you to customer relationships through their list of networks and contacts. That’s a very valuable way to make connections for your own business. Don’t leave it out.

If you use Google Maps, and if you are a local business serving local clientele then you should, then you’ll love the new features that have been incorporated into their interface. According to a report from Marketing Pilgrim, Google Maps has incorporated the following new features:

• MyLocation for Mobile Phones
• Collaborative Maps
• KML Import
• Streetview in Balloons

I give two of these services a 5 on user benefit and one a 3. KML Import is not as important as the others, but I guess I can nudge it out a 1 or a 2.

The MyLocation feature is based on cell phone triangulation, allowing users to locate themselves on a map. If you get lost or turned around easily then this will be a great feature. If your business is hard to find then your customers will love this feature. You can see a video on how this feature can be used at Google Maps.

The Collaborative Maps feature is the one I really like and the one that I think has the best business application. You can create new maps with the help of your business associates, partners, and employees. All you do is send an e-mail to the people you want to invite to join you in the creation of a new Map. You can even make your Maps public so that anyone can make changes and additions. Great feature for your website that will allow your customers to join in on the Maps creation feature for your neighborhood. This will serve as some great local link bait!

The Yellow Pages Association has released a new edition of the Local Search Guide.

The Guide strives to keep people informed of the changes in local search. Changes in local search are so rapid that every day you can log on to the World Wide Web and see something a little different than you did the day before. The players could be different and the strategies could be different as well. That’s why it’s important to stay on top of what is happening so that you can be effective in advertising your local business to the right market. That’s why I recommend the Local Search Guide.

The Guide is sponsored by some of my favorite organizations, including Superpages, comScore, The Kelsey Group, and SEMPO. Here’s what you get when you pay attention to the Guide:

• Profiles of Internet Yellow Pages
• Search Engine Profiles and Support Advice
• Great Search Tools
• Mobile Marketing Tools
• Information on Vertical Directories
• A Useful Glossary
• Insightful Columns and Viewpoints From Industry Leaders
• Other Great Resources

When it comes to definitive information about local search, there’s no resource like the Local Search Guide.

Today, the Google Webmaster Central Blog featured Matt Cutts giving a presentation via YouTube video on how a company can influence the snippet that appears on Google SERPs for their listing. It’s a useful video that offers some great insights into the description meta tag and its importance. Matt also discusses how a snippet can be formed from the content on your website. This has some excellent application for local businesses, which I’ll cover briefly after you’ve watched the video:

• Write a killer meta description tag
• Include your address on every page of your website
• Try to think about the content on your site and what would make a good snippet, then write each sentence as if it could be that snippet
• List your site on DMOZ
• Only include the most important information about your company on each web page

Google Maps allows you to put coupons in your listing. Did you know that?

It’s no joke. Totally free. You can add coupons on your Google Maps listing and drive customers to your local store through Internet search engine optimization. Even if you don’t have a website.

All you do is go to the Local Business Center on Google’s website. To get there go to the Google home page and click on Maps. Then click on “Add or Edit your business.” Next, click on the the Coupons tab at the top of the page. Click the “Add a coupon now” button and add the information for your coupon. Your coupon will then appear on your Google Local listing along with directions to your business. And that’s all there is to it.

The caveat: Be sure to track the results of your ad through a credible analytics program.

If you use Google AdWords or Yahoo! Search Marketing then you’ll need to make sure that you include your competition in your settings. You can actually input specific websites that you want your ads to appear on. I highly recommend this. While your competition can opt to exclude your ads from running on their website, don’t assume that they will. Many AdSense users are not aware they can do that and some do not take the time to do it even if they know they can. It’s an opportunity for you to reach your target market through your competition’s website.

Some people might call this sleazy, but I don’t. It’s just advertising. Throughout advertising history, advertisers have sought to reach their target markets by putting up signs in places they know their market is going. And many times that means buying space on a billboard that is towering above a competitor’s store or advertising in a magazine that a competitor sponsors or writes for. You go where the customers are and your customers are visiting your competition’s website. It just makes sense to include those websites in your advertising efforts.

One of the best features about Citysearch is the ability to guide your customers directly to your location through Geo Views.

Geo Views is Citysearch’s map feature. Like Google Maps, you can place your business in its exact location and point potential customers to your location and even tell them how to get there. This has some excellent applications, including mobile marketing benefits.

Scenario #1: Someone Google’s a key concept in your industry with a geo-targeted keyword. Your business pops up in the top 10 on the SERP, but not your website - on Citysearch. They click the Page Title link on the SERP and see your Citysearch ad along with a map pinpointing the location of your business. No phone call asking for your address and how to find it. It’s all right there in front of them. The customer prints the page and drives over. No hassle, no fuss. Saves you time so that you don’t have to answer the phone and answer the same question you’ve answered 50 times that day.

Scenario $2: A customer is in her car and knows that you are in the neighborhood, but she doesn’t remember the exact address. She Google’s you on her mobile phone and your Citysearch ad appears in the top 10 results. After visiting the page where your ad appears and looking at the map on her mobile phone, she drives right to your location without missing a beat.

These types of scenarios happen every day with Citysearch customers. Shouldn’t you be advertising on Citysearch?

We took the day off for Thanksgiving. We hope you had a happy holiday as well. Many of you are probably still not back at work, taking the weekend to go shopping. Many more of you are working today because your store is where the other half are shopping. Without you, the world would shut down. You’re called retailers and we love you.

When it comes to local business, there is perhaps no business more entrenched in the local community than retail. Your products may come from anywhere, or they could be locally produced. But your customers, unless you do heavy volume from your website, likely come from your local community. But that doesn’t mean you can’t use the Web to increase your business. And during this busy time of year, between Thanksgiving Day and Christmas, it is highly likely that your business will see increased volume. If you have a website then that is probably more true.

Having a Web presence for your local retail store is necessary because more and more people are going online to find businesses nearby to shop at. At one time, advertising in the local newspaper was the necessity. Then it was the radio. Then TV. More and more every day, the Internet is the place to be. If you haven’t started advertising online yet then you likely are falling behind your competition. Don’t you think it’s time?

This is not a paid review. I have recently entered a relationship with Search Marketing Standard, the best magazine covering search marketing. Started in 2006, the magazine has quickly attracted 50,000 regular readers. That’s impressive.

I believe Search Marketing Standard is a necessary resource for local businesses seeking to maximize their online advertising for several reasons:

1. You get the latest news and information on search marketing
2. The coverage is local and global, therefore relevant to local businesses
3. Useful for getting the best knowledge and information pay per click advertising, search engine optimization, and search engine marketing
4. The information is brought to you by professional marketers who understand the industry because they have worked in it

Here’s a list of some of the topics covered by Search Marketing Standard that are relevant to local businesses who want to succeed at online advertising:

• Blogging
• Branding
• Search Engine Marketing
• Link Building
• Local Search
• Mobile Search
• Pay Per Click
• Search Engine Optimization
• Social Media
• Video

If you want the best and the latest information on the search marketing industry, there is no better resource than Search Marketing Standard.

I like reading Marketing Pilgrim. They have useful information in every blog post and I always learn something new. For instance, this morning The Pilgrim wrote an excellent piece about negative reviews and how they can benefit your business. Everyone wants to get positive reviews, but did you know you can negative reviews into a profit for your business?

Just about every local advertising website online allows users to review the businesses that advertise. Most of them do. That means you customers are likely to go online and shout your name at the top of their lungs. It’s no secret that people will spread negative news faster than positive news, but should that scare you? Here are five ways Marketing Pilgrim suggests you can benefit from negative reviews of your business:

• You can identify your own weaknesses by negative reviews
• Negative reviews build credibility
• Fix your problems and disappointed customers will return with their friends
• A public show of good faith in fixing problems will show that you care about your own reputation and your customers’ needs
• Look at your competitors’ negative reviews and learn from them

This is a great list. The one that seems the most counterintuitive is the second one - building credibility. It would seem that negative reviews would hurt your credibility, right? But if every review of your business is positive then they could appear fake. Remember, your customers are smart. They can see through a negative review or a positive review like glass. If it’s fake, they’ll know and that will hurt your business more than help it. On the other hand, if a negative review is nitpicking at something that is not easy to control then potential customers will see that too. But if a negative review makes a good point then you can take that point and fix your problem, turning a negative into a positive. That will go a very long way in building credibility and attracting new customers. So don’t be afraid of negative reviews.

One of the unique things about advertising on Citysearch is that you can run your ads on the same pages as your competition. These ads on Citysearch are called Edge Ads. Citysearch will run them on your competitors’ profile pages, giving you a bigger edge over the competition by stealing their thunder.

Your Edge Ad will be a powerful tool in your marketing arsenal simply because you can run it right beside the competition, but the features of the ad itself make it worthwhile even without the leg up:

• Name of your business in big bold letters
• Tagline
• Link to your website
• Photo or logo
• Editorial reviews

Another great benefit to the Edge Ads is that Citysearch rotates them whenever Citysearch users search for those types of businesses. Every so often, your ad will appear at the top. In other words, if there are five businesses of your type in your local area then every fifth search your business will appear at the top of the listings. How cool is that?

One way to make the most of local online advertising is to kick off a pay per action campaign. Pay per action is like pay per click but it also includes other clickable actions like phone calls and clicking to watch a video ad. Many of the local advertising directories have such services as do the major search engines. Here are some pay per action services you might be interested in and where you can get more information on them:

• Pay Per Impression - Google has added a pay per impression service to its pay per click advertising service.
• Pay Per Call - Superpages has a service for businesses to receive calls from mobile phones.
• Mobile Advertising - Google Mobile has a way for businesses to tap into the mobile market.
• Google AdWords - Google AdWords also offers audio campaigns and print advertising campaigns
• Pay Per Call - Citysearch also has a pay per call service and even lets you set up a toll free number to receive the calls.

(Source) Google Maps has added some new ways for you to find your way using your mobile device. You’ve now got contacts integration and GPS functionality on Windows Mobile, for version 2003 or higher.

This is great news for mobile users, but is it good news for local businesses? I say it is. Increased functionality means more people using the mobile features available to them. As more people use the features, businesses will have more opportunities to use them to advertise to mobile users. I see mobile marketing reaching the same increase in business that local search is currently making. Right now, mobile marketing is still in its infancy, but in five years it will be as commonplace as search itself. Businesses that want to get in on the ground floor opportunities and get a head start on their competition will start right now taking advantage of the local mobile marketing features available at their fingertips.

Should you sell advertising on your local small business website?

That’s a good question. By now, everyone knows about Google’s policy of penalizing websites that sell links. What no one has talked about yet is how that will affect local websites, particularly local directory websites that make their money selling links. I don’t expect this policy to affect websites like Citysearch, Yellowpages.com, and Superpages. I mean the locally owned website that acts as a business directory for a particular local area.

The unique advantage to these types of websites is that they are locally owned and therefore have the ability to earn trust from their neighbors. This is where such sites have an edge over their larger, more ubiquitous competitors. But will Google’s paid links policy penalize these sites?

A true directory will sell advertising to any business within a specific geographic area. These sites will have to be optimized for geotargeted keywords in order to be successful. With the rise in local search, and it will only grow more popular, it makes no sense for Google to penalize these sites at all. They are, after all, directories. Directories have a special place in online marketing and should follow a different set of rules. We’ve seen that with article directories. Why should it be any different for local business directories?

It remains to be seen whether these local directories will be penalized for selling links. But I would attempt to persuade Google not to institute such penalties and I would encourage local businesses to continue patronizing their locally owned directories even if they are penalized. After all, the true benefit of such directories is not the PageRank they offer, if any, but the targeted traffic they can send to your website.