| While search engine advertising has been a | | | | on the more general terms, then specifying a |
| great advertising medium for businesses | | | | geographic area they'd like the ads to appear |
| capable of or interested in marketing their | | | | within.The options for this include picking |
| products and services to a national or | | | | specific cities, metropolitan areas, or even |
| international audience, the effectiveness of | | | | a distance radius from a specific point. For |
| this type of advertising was limited for | | | | example, maybe the realtor only wants to |
| businesses interested in advertising to a | | | | generate leads from within 30 miles of their |
| local market until very recently.For example, | | | | home.Does this work?Yes, it works very well. |
| a realtor with a web site in Minneapolis is | | | | There are very few types of advertising |
| likely interested in advertising on search | | | | online or offline where you have such |
| terms such as "homes for sale" and "sell my | | | | detailed control over who you are advertising |
| home." The only problem was the realtor would | | | | to. Basically it's pretty hard to beat |
| have to advertise to everyone in the country | | | | advertising to people who are searching for |
| who happened to type those terms into search | | | | what you sell and happen to live close to |
| engines. This was wasteful and ineffective | | | | your business. And, since this is pay per |
| because the vast majority of visitors | | | | click advertising, you are only charged when |
| clicking through to the site would not be | | | | searchers click through to your web |
| qualified visitors since they lived outside | | | | site.Local Advertising TipsPromote Your |
| the realtor's regional market.At that time, | | | | Location - You'll definitely see better |
| the only work around to this was to include a | | | | conversion rates for your local advertising |
| regional qualifying term next to each search | | | | if you include your physical address on your |
| phrase, so instead of advertising on the term | | | | web site. We recommend including this in the |
| "homes for sale" the realtor would have to | | | | footer of every page of your site to |
| advertise on "Minneapolis homes for | | | | reinforce that you're local to the |
| sale."What about the prospective clients who | | | | prospects.Track Performance - When you use |
| live in Minneapolis, but only type in "homes | | | | local advertising you will still have to |
| for sale?" They're likely just as qualified | | | | compete against businesses willing to |
| for the realtor, but it there wasn't a way to | | | | advertise nationally on the same search |
| target this type of searcher. The gap between | | | | phrases. This means search terms can get |
| forcing advertisers to use regional | | | | expensive but your conversion rates should |
| qualifying terms or advertising to a national | | | | support this. However, as with any form of |
| market was finally closed this spring by | | | | advertising, it's important to track what's |
| Google.Local TargetingTargeting a known | | | | working.Ed Kohler is the president and |
| geographic location of searchers became a | | | | founder of Haystack In A Needle - - a full |
| reality earlier this spring when Google | | | | service web marketing and search engine |
| launched their local targeting program. So | | | | positioning firm based in Minneapolis, MN. |
| now the realtor in Minneapolis can advertise | | | | |