Local Search- The details will kill you at the start.

I posted about this somewhere before on the WF.

When I first started adding offline mkt'ing about a year ago, it was purely by accident. A friend asked how I got on 1st page for my non-IM biz.

Skipping ahead to what matters for local search... The first thing I found was just like everyone else has found ... Google's local search data doesn't exist, in reality.

But here is why you can search for KW's and not see results returned for what you are expecting...

It's this small detail - it's your ISP and everybody in your town, city, suburb too. We all have different IP's and most have a different one each time the computer is turned on.

Mine have a variance of an average 50 miles ... that means that the search engines will see my IP for the day as anywhere I end up. That could be one of about 10 different "towns". So, a telephone Co. assigns IP's dynamically, and they can change while you are online too.

If that was a bunch of gobble-de-gook to you, I'm sorry. But the Internet protocol, your computer's address can be found by going to one of those "whats my IP?" sites. It will also tell you the city/town that a google or yahoo "sees".

Let me tell you, I was really pissed when I figured that out. I figured that it would multiply the work by a factor of 10 for 10 cities. Just for one or two KW's!

Just look at a very generic search like for 'doctor' or 'lawyer'. You may get crap 30-40 miles away. Nobody wants to drive 30 miles to the doctor or to a lawyer, right?

Later, it struck me that this dilemma was actually an opportunity, and a golden one. So, I solved the problem and it's been gravy ever since.

I'm going to do a $10,000 WSO on it.
It's a BIG SECRET! The secret to millions of dollars in your pocket for you and future generations of your family.

LOL

Really, it's a bit complicated to explain but I know all of you are already seeing multiple solutions. I started an authority site. Then subdomains or add ons, either works. Then slapped a great web site up and discussed all the numerous towns and cities, over and over ... in articles on the authority site, and on the sub domains and add ons. Simultaneously throwing some Twitter at it. Boom first page for the authority site.
(Remember, this was over a year ago.)

How easy do you think it is to get somebody ranked from the authority site linkage for any of those towns/cities? real easy.

Now what to do about the money. it's all continuity or nothing. If they stop paying, it's okay but they get "delisted" from the authority site and "their" subdomain vanishes. Their ranking and 1st page begins to slide quickly. This is CRITICAL. They always ask, "what happens if I don't want to pay any more?" I say, "You'll be back to where you are now- unfindable."

About half the time I get asked "Can you make it permanent 1st page?" I say, "Yes. A significant amount of money up front and monthly maintenace will get you there and keep you there." The monthly is about $50 per KW

The authority site took about a month to get on 1st page and now it just stays there... without any work or maintenance. It took a month because I was going after 50 totally different professions, business types.

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Now I just saw someone on an offline thread, discussing this same local search subject, who is going to give a seminar to realtors about how to do this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

REALTORS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Are you kidding me!!! Teach them!!!! Yikes!

If you want to put your local search business's reputation in the hands of a bunch of frustrated _________ , then be my guest. BUT, that is NOT where the money is.

Seminars! For heavens sake, get some imagination! You'll be creating your own competition.

Geeezzzzz!!!!!!!!!!

Tell a realtor that you'll get a house or two on the first page and help her sell it! For $100 or $200 each month per set of KW's.

Teaching people how to do something you can barely do, is insane!

Rethink your strategy for your own benefit. Read every thread here. If you don't, you'll go from hero to zero faster than you can imagine.
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Now here is the coup de gras, the killer instinct in this old dog, the real opportunity that I saw back in the beginning. It is sooo simple. It plays on somebody's greed.

OK. First, I didn't want this offline stuff to be my major time consumer, because my other online businesses are time consuming and I love doing those more than just about anything else.

So, once I knew it would work I decided to go high end businesses and only high end businesses. Well, that's where the money is, right?

Second, they had to be in extremely competitive businesses. This is important. So, I looked around for good people in each business sector, not the biggest, but real good people. Good folk. Most are sole proprietors or partnerships types. Good local reputation, been in business several years, etc.

Then, I approached them through a referrer. Yeah, I asked around about who was good from people I knew, and then I used them as referrers.

I made my pitch in 5 minutes using every ad they were using, from TV, radio, or YP. And, then asked them what did you expect to get out of these ads?

Their answers varied, some were funny, like "I want to piss off my competition with bigger ads and more TV." I ask, "Does it bring in new customers?" 99% don't know. but they think it does.

Bing Bang Boom Stick a fork in them!

Now Here's my $10,000 WSO offer

I then ask them if they would be interested to be on the first page of Google and Yahoo and Bing? Exclusively!

It usually takes them a minute or two to "get it". Then their eyes light up like solar flares.

That's right. I only do one person in each profession, industry, business sector. They freak at the thought, especially when I explain that they can be pulling leads from all over the general area of 10 cities.

"Can you really do that? Legally?", they ask.

Then I whip out my already prepared list of KW's and ask if he has any others to add.

Closings are mostly me emptying their brain for referrals to other people in different industries that are their friends.

Last off, here's the exact chain that occurred with my first customer and his referrals: lawyer refers to doctor who refers to accountant who referred to investment advisor who referred to a great starving artist who referred to his patron/buyer gallery.

So, take that you danged warriors! Lock and load!

Happy Veterans Day to all who are serving, or have served, and to their families.

TB