Searching Online And Shopping Locally

An interesting article appeared in Search Engine Watch today about the increasingly popular shopping websites. I am always looking for news that can help small businesses locally, and one comment caught my eye: "Despite the popularity and success of online retail, the vast majority of purchases continue to be made at brick and mortar stores." I agree -- it's something we discuss frequently on this blog.

Consumers Research Online Then Shop Locally

People use the internet in many different ways. One of the most common is the "research online but buy it offline" phenomenon. If you are reading this blog, I'm betting you know just what I'm talking about. And if you own a business selling goods or services in a local market area, you should be thinking about the internet as a vast window into your business. And potential customers are peering in. Will they like what they see?

Local Shopping Search Engines On The Rise

While the local shopping portals that are on the rise are still geared more toward national advertisers with a local presence (think Sears, Circuit City) the growth of these websites shows the power of local search marketing. Cairo.com and ShopLocal.com are two such portals. For a pure local search engine, visit TrueLocal.com. Of the three, TrueLocal is by far the best bet at this time to enable the small local advertiser to reach a local online audience.