Local search gets profitable for local business

Entry for July 27, 2007

Now local search gets profitable for local business. Announcing Local Leap from Vertical Leap

Release Date: 26 July 2007

Vertical Leap, pioneer of managed search engine marketing, has launched Local Leap, a new search optimisation service specifically for businesses whose market is local, rather than global.

Local Leap gives high street shops, professionals such as solicitors, accountants plus service providers including plumbers, specialists in topiary through to catering the opportunity to realistically compete in the main search engines and to see a profitable return from their website due to increased sales leads.

My Take


This effort aims to place participating local vendors at the top of the search results heap.

If all SEO experts are attempting to win the same limited real estate, then any positive results they achieve can only be temporary. The next local competitor who comes along using the same tool - or a similar one - will knock them off.

Missing elements - social search; viral; economic incentive; differentiation based on consumer experience

Tags: socialsearch, localsearch, wordofmouth, angieslist, judysbook, yellowpages

Friday July 27, 2007 - 07:23am (EDT)

YouGottaCall - First E-mail to Prospective Members

Excerpted from email sent to team members.

Project Update Vol. 1 Issue 1

July 24, 2007

Here is a newsletter that will begin to provide you with information on the progress of the venture we've discussed - our team, our development efforts, our installations and the market opportunity.

Our site is still not hosted as we are still in stealth mode. Please treat this information as confidential - do not reproduce or forward it. If you wish to be removed from our mailing list please opt out below by clicking "Leave this list".

This first issue highlights an article published today by The Kelsey Group. The Kelsey Group is a "leading provider of strategic research and analysis, data and competitive metrics on Yellow Pages, electronic directories and local media."

"When Will Yellow Pages Come to the Social?" observes that the Yellow Page publishers have been slow to adopt social networking as a way to increase their considerable local market influence.

"With the wealth of local content and obvious verticals, IYPs could take a local leadership position in topical areas such as local services/contractors, home improvement, home decorating, financial, health care, entertainment, weddings and other lifestyle oriented topics that would be attractive to social media users."

The writer quotes Sebastian Provencher, as saying Social search has a great future but I think its difficult to start from scratch. There might be an amazing opportunity out there for directory publishers (and anyone operating a local search site with a good amount of traffic) to launch a social search application."

We think the opposite is true. Large publishers might be unable or unwilling to respond to opportunities quickly enough. Plus, the Internet allows start-ups with good ideas to outmaneuver giants.

The article also cites Boomj as a social networking with an e-commerce component. What a great idea!

Please feel free to write or call to learn more about our project.

Yours truly,

Tim Tracey

Wednesday July 25, 2007 - 06:32am (EDT)