Recently Google announced that business owners can now respond to reviews left on Google Places.

From the site at http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2010/08/respond-to-reviews-for-your-business-on.html

“Starting today, if you’re a verified Google Places business owner, you can publicly respond to reviews written by Google Maps users on the Place Page for your business. Engaging with the people who have shared their thoughts about your business is a great way to get to know your customers and find out more. Both positive and negative feedback can be good for your business and help it grow (even though it’s sometimes hard to hear). By responding, you can build stronger relationships with existing and prospective customers. For example, a thoughtful response acknowledging a problem and offering a solution can often turn a customer who had an initially negative experience into a raving supporter. A simple thank you or a personal message can further reinforce a positive experience. Ultimately, business owner responses give you the opportunity to learn what you do well, what you can do better, and show your customers that you’re listening.

Before writing your first response, we recommend reading our handy tips on how to respond to reviewers. Then take a stab at responding by following these instructions. If you have not yet verified ownership for your business on Google, please visit Google Places to claim your listing.”

This is a great opportunity for business owners to communicate with their reviewers, remember though don’t have heated discussions online, don’t get mad or personal these reviews are going to be around for a very long time and you want to be professional in your replies representing your business.

If you feel that a review is not compliant with the rules then you can flag it for removal and Google will look into the situation and remove the review if necessary.

Print Local Listings Seminar (pdf)

Here is a list of our upcoming CFU classes for 2010 – check with CFU to see that they are still going on and please register ahead of time as we have both a max limit of 10 and min attendance of 2 for the classes to run.

A Crash Course in Local Search
Understand why Local Search is different from General Search.  Figure out where to list your business and come away with lots of other directories to get listed beyond Google.
Saturday mornings from 9 am-12 am
Sat May 15th – Register / More Info
Sat June 26th – Register / More Info
Sat Aug 7th  – Register / More Info
Sat Sept 18th – Register / More Info
Sat Oct 30th
Sat Dec 4th

Google Pay Per Click
Learn how to write good ad copy, get your website in order to help get better results from your Pay Per Click campaigns and how to find your keywords.
Saturday afternoons from 2 pm-5 pm
Sat May 15th – Register / More Info
Sat June 26th – Register / More Info
Sat Aug 7th – Register / More Info
Sat Sept 18th – Register / More Info
Sat Oct 30th
Sat Dec 4th

Twitter
Understand what Twitter is all about, how to participate and how to optimize your Twitter account.  Grow your list quickly with targeted, qualified traffic.
Wednesday evenings from 6 pm-8 pm
Weds May 26th – Register / More Info
Weds July 28th – Register / More Info
Weds Sept 29th - Register / More Info
Weds Nov 24th – Register / More Info

Google Freebies and Must Haves
Google is a treasure trove for small businesses.  Learn how to  use the top five free Google tools and how to create revenue on your website.
Wednesday evenings from 6 pm-8 pm
Weds May 12th – Register / More Info
Weds July 14th – Register / More Info
Weds Sept 8th – Register / More Info
Weds Nov 10th

Online Marketing It’s Easy, Effective & Affordable
Discover some ideas about how you can market yourself more effectively online.  Starting with your own website we discuss how to make sure you are taking advantage of the basics on your own site then move onto Blogging, Social Media and Email marketing.
Wednesday evenings from 6 pm-9 pm
Weds March 3rd
Weds April 7th
Weds June 16th – Register / More Info
Weds Aug 11th – Register / More Info
Weds Oct 13th – Register / More Info
Weds Dec 8th

Blogging
Curious about blogging and if it can work for your business.  In this class we talk about free and paid options, why you might want to blog and how it can be fun as well as give you an advantage in the search engines.
Wednesday evenings from 6 pm-9 pm
Weds March 17th
Weds April 21st
Weds June 30th – Register Today
Weds Aug 25th – Register / More Info
Weds Oct 27th – Register / More Info
Weds Dec 22nd – unavailable for online registration until new class links are posted

If you have any questions about the classes please contact Liz@MaiaInternetConsulting.com – we look forward to seeing you in a class soon!

To register for a class click on a the link to take you to the register page for the class or contact:

Colorado Free University
7653 East 1st Place
Denver, CO 80230
(303) 399-0093

For those that are not really aware of what Local Search is here is a quick look:

• Local Search is any search made with the goal of finding something within a geographic location.  This is known as searching with local intent.
• Local Search is searching for something (what) in some place (where).
• Local Expert, Greg Sterling, defines Local Search as seeking information online with the intention of making a transaction off line.
• Essentially, anything that you would traditionally look for in the print Yellow Pages becomes a Local Search which it is conducted offline.

Local Search in Google shows up in the map when you search for something in an area.

Other search engines have a similar results and need to be submitted individually.  If you are on Google Local Search you will still need to make sure you are on Bing and Yahoo.

The client in the example above, Swim Otters, had claimed her listing on Google Local but was still not showing up in the results for Swim Lessons Westminster, CO.  We worked on her listing to help her come up for various swimming searches in her area and removed duplicate entries for data integrity.  Simply claiming your listing does not mean you will show in the results.  Working with a search professional can make a difference.

Learn about Local Search in an upcoming class I am presenting at Colorado Free University on April 10th, 2009 from 9am – noon.    Cost is $57 for non-members of CFU and $45 for members with a $10 materials fee.

Click on the following link to sign up:  Local Search Class

Join me for a class on beginner Pay Per Click.

Small businesses can’t afford to wait for folks to wind their way to the website. Pay-per-click (PPC) ads can bring customers to your site immediately. An effective campaign can cost as little as $25 per month. Learn what it takes to have a successful PPC campaign and how to measure success. Learn how to find the right keywords, how to set up your tracking code, and get step-by-step instructions to create your ad. Leave class with practical knowledge to use Pay-per-click and a list of free keyword research tools that will help you get you started with your local and regional targeting campaigns.

Price: $57 Non-Member $45 Member $10 materials fee payable in class

Class # Class Dates Area of town
3222D One Sat., 2-5 p.m. 10/31 EAST DENVER: Near 1st & Quebec
3222E One Sun., 2-5 p.m. 11/22 EAST DENVER: Near 1st & Quebec
3222F One Sat., 2-5 p.m. 12/19 EAST DENVER: Near 1st & Quebec

To sign up go to Colorado Free University and click on Find a Class and enter the class number in the search.

Join me for a class on Local Search at Colorado Free University.  Pick one of the dates listed below that will work for you, the class is 3 hours and covers a bunch of material for you to go home and start working on your site promotion.  The class is held once a month.

Class Description: Business owners know the value of getting to the top in Internet searches, but many don’t understand the ins and outs of local search. Over thirty percent of all searches are made with local intent and the reality is that most businesses really only need to reach potential customers in a defined geographic area. The local search ecosystem has become a bustling place bringing more visitors to the small business website than ever before. Every business should understand how it works. Learn about local search directories and which will work for your business. Figure out where to list your business and what information you need for an effective listing.

Price: $57 Non-Member $45 Member $10 materials fee payable in class

Class # Class Dates Area of town
3221D One Sat., 9 a.m.-noon 10/31 EAST DENVER: Near 1st & Quebec
3221E One Sun., 9 a.m.-noon 11/22 EAST DENVER: Near 1st & Quebec
3221F One Sat., 9 a.m.-noon 12/19 EAST DENVER: Near 1st & Quebec

To sign up go to Colorado Free University and click on Find a Class and enter the class number in the search.

1.  A Crash Course in Local Search: Don’t Let Your Business Be Left Behind (https://www.colofreeu-registrar.com/sdc/regclass.html?class=252932)

2.  Grow Your Business on Google with Pay-Per-Click  (https://www.colofreeu-registrar.com/sdc/regclass.html?class=252936 )

Both these classes will help you make sure that people find you when searching the Internet.   Saturday 9/26.

The report “Local Search Ranking Factors” points many factors that can help your cause in the Local Search area.  The report also highlights negative factors that can affect your listing.

The top three factors

1. General Importance of claiming local business listing – all agreed that claiming a business listing is very important to your online Local Search success.  Everyone had a comment and the consensus was that your must start here!  Claim your listing in Google/
2. Local Business Listing Address in City of Search – another high importance factor.  Google maps are becoming accurate in listing local businesses and as such if you are in a suburb of a large city then you are probably not going to be listed in that major city but rather the suburb.
3. Associating Local Business Listing with Proper Categories – another important factor and many say one of the most effective and a well kept secret.

Negative things included:

1. 800 numbers
2. Multiple locations with one phone number
3. Negative Customer ratings.

Read the whole report at Local Search Ranking Factors