Microsoft Gives Boost To Local Search Marketing
Windows Live Local May Change Local Search
If you want to see the future of local search marketing, check out this new offering from Microsoft, called Windows Live Local. It is still in "beta" form, meaning it is not yet in final, finished form, and may contain some bugs. Still, it's worth looking at.
The Customers Will Come -- Will Your Business Be There?
The arrival of Windows Live Local now means that the holy trinity of search marketing - Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft - are on the scene in a big way, offering a great web experience for consumers who are searching for local products and services. These feature-rich websites will prove compelling to consumers, who will soon be throwing their old Yellow Pages phone books into the recycling bin. From Google, there is Google Local, the least compelling of the three offerings. But with those Google dollars mounting up, the folks in Mountain View will no doubt be updating soon. The old Yahoo! Local has now melded into Yahoo! Maps Local. It is also still in beta, and it shows the potential to be a compelling destination. And now along comes Windows Live Local, the best of the bunch, from Microsoft.
Windows Live Local Shows What Local Search Can Be
The new Windows interface, while clearly still buggy and in need of work, shows the future. The graphic design of the maps is clean and clear. You can zoom in on specific business locatations. You can make a note on a scratch pad (and email it or blog it). You can create driving instructions and custom-print them. (Check out the feature that lets you plan your route by adding little push pins to a map). And the birds-eye views of cities -- beautiful. Lots of work still to be done, clearly a beta release, but a great product from Microsoft, and a clear indication of what consumers can expect to have available in the years to come. The task for the small business is to make sure it shows up, when the customers are searching.
If you want to see the future of local search marketing, check out this new offering from Microsoft, called Windows Live Local. It is still in "beta" form, meaning it is not yet in final, finished form, and may contain some bugs. Still, it's worth looking at.
The Customers Will Come -- Will Your Business Be There?
The arrival of Windows Live Local now means that the holy trinity of search marketing - Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft - are on the scene in a big way, offering a great web experience for consumers who are searching for local products and services. These feature-rich websites will prove compelling to consumers, who will soon be throwing their old Yellow Pages phone books into the recycling bin. From Google, there is Google Local, the least compelling of the three offerings. But with those Google dollars mounting up, the folks in Mountain View will no doubt be updating soon. The old Yahoo! Local has now melded into Yahoo! Maps Local. It is also still in beta, and it shows the potential to be a compelling destination. And now along comes Windows Live Local, the best of the bunch, from Microsoft.
Windows Live Local Shows What Local Search Can Be
The new Windows interface, while clearly still buggy and in need of work, shows the future. The graphic design of the maps is clean and clear. You can zoom in on specific business locatations. You can make a note on a scratch pad (and email it or blog it). You can create driving instructions and custom-print them. (Check out the feature that lets you plan your route by adding little push pins to a map). And the birds-eye views of cities -- beautiful. Lots of work still to be done, clearly a beta release, but a great product from Microsoft, and a clear indication of what consumers can expect to have available in the years to come. The task for the small business is to make sure it shows up, when the customers are searching.
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