local search
« Previous EntriesCity Requests Removal from Google Maps
Saturday, May 31st, 2008The Minneapolis Star-Tribune today reports that the city of North Oaks, Minnesota, has requested that all street-level images of their community be removed from Google Maps.
Google says that no community has ever issued such a blanket request. This doesn’t surprise me - North Oaks, sometimes known as the ‘Forbidden City,’ is somewhat unique. All roads [...]
Harsh Reality
Wednesday, April 16th, 2008On the Internet, ‘being a good guy’ will not drive performance in and of itself.
Being a good guy who leverages good guy qualities, such as friends who like him and will link to him and people who will write positive reviews on user-generated review sites helps a lot more than just complaining that a site [...]
Obsolescence & Landfills
Monday, March 31st, 2008Back in my misspent youth, I worked for a major provider of health insurance and clinic/hospital care. One year, early in the Intarweb era, we offered a program in which instead of sending out the provider directory to all the renewing members in our government groups, we sent them a one-page business reply card that [...]
Intergalactic!
Monday, March 17th, 2008One of the most challenging things about optimizing a web site for a small business owner is controlling their expectations and tempering their ambitions. For many, a web site is more than just a way to reach their core audience - it’s a blurring of their understanding of who their core audience really is.
Because it’s [...]
I35W Bridge Updated in Google Maps
Tuesday, August 7th, 2007Google Maps quickly accomodated changes in transportation infrastructure after a widely-publicized bridge collapse in Minneapolis.
Disasters & Google
Thursday, August 2nd, 2007How long until Google Maps ceases attempting to route people via the I35-W bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis?
Self-Consciousness & SEO
Tuesday, June 19th, 2007…or, “Just use the internet to do illegal downloads and porn like the rest of us,” says my pal Jawa.
Being an SEO means being self-conscious about your own actions and the actions of others on the Internet. At least it does for me, possibly because it’s semi-universal, or possibly because I am a freak with [...]
On Self-Defeating Business Models
Monday, June 18th, 2007One of the interesting things to watch over the coming year will be what happens to a fairly common SEO business model, that of the ‘guaranteed top rankings!!!!’
With Google’s move to Universal Search and personalization, and the various manuevers of Yahoo, it’s hard to say where the people who promise rankings will land. It’s certain [...]
Reliability of Online Reviews
Wednesday, June 13th, 2007This one’s for the Funk King of Minneapolis, Paul Jahn.
There’s a Salon blog post today on the reliability of online reviews. Here’s a choice bit:
Online ratings are beset by one main flaw, something pollsters call “response bias.” Because people are more likely to rate products that have moved them in some way — either positively [...]
Oh, Spam, How I Love Thee
Tuesday, June 12th, 2007Attached to an image touting the standard array of designer pharmeceuticals, I give you today’s assortment of weird text snippets, suitable for reading at a poetry slam or even your next SEO pitch:
I think highly focused ads are the answer.
The benefits of local search are clear: it allows you to find customers in your area [...]
