A marketing resource for the small business owner
Local Search Marketing
Google Launches Business Photos
Jun 1st
Last year Google teased Place Page owners with a possible Google Store View allowing customers to virtually walk into businesses while using the Google Street View function of Google Maps. The testing was short lived and we were left thinking it was discontinued.
Well Google seems to have had a change of heart. They’ve officially launched this feature and it’s being called Google Business Photos. Currently it’s only available in certain cities in the US, Australia and Japan. The US areas include: Orange County, CA; the San Francisco Bay Area, St. Petersburg, FL; San Antonio, TX; and Phoenix, AZ.
When businesses apply to have the photos taken, Google sends a free photographer to their business to take the needed pictures. Currently Google is only hitting the most popular search for places – like restaurants, hotels, retail shops and other storefront businesses.
If you’re interested in getting in on this feature, then watch the video below on Google Business Photos to get the whole story:
Want your news site included in Bing News? Here’s what to do!
May 1st
Bing News is one of the most popular online aggregators of news and is certainly worth your attention. Unfortunately, unlike other popular news aggregators who make it very simple to submit your news through a single interface, you’ll need a slightly different approach with Bing.
As of this writing, there does not exist a direct way to submit your news stories individually into Bing – but there is a method to include your site as a whole. Before you submit, however, we suggest you implement the following preliminary steps that can increase your chances of being listed.
First, sign-up for a verified Bing Webmaster Account. As with Google Webmaster Tools, the Bing Webmaster Account has similar functionalities that will allow you to monitor your site’s performance in Bing. It’s also your lifeline to Bing if/when they want to contact you about your site in the future (including letting you know if you got into Bing News).
Second, open a support ticket at Discover Bing. Click on the “Bing” option in the list of options to create your ticket.
You’ll then be prompted to provide your full name, email address for contact and email address associated with the account you’re inquiring about.
Next, select “Other” from the drop-down menu then use the description box to include information about your Web site as a news source.
In order to increase the chances of getting your site included, you should address the following in the description box:
- An introduction, historical background and credentials of your Web site.
- Credible ranking of the site in its field, if any.
- Name the local area or audience scope that the site covers. Be sure to provide the state/city names and zip codes for the stories or describe the groups of users.
- Provide statistics on the site – including traffic, Alexa ranking, etc. (Anything that shows that your site is credible and popular)
- Mention if the site is mostly news-related and if not, explain the unique news angle.
- Give the URL of your main news entry point, as well as entry points of major channels.
- Provide an RSS link to your site.
- Be sure that your site complies with technical requirements on the Bing Webmaster Tool Blog and state in your request that your site complies.
Finally, click “Continue” and you’re done! If you get approved, you should receive a notice within about a week.
It is our belief that by addressing your request for inclusion with a specific eye to the above particulars, you should be in a good position to be accurately reviewed for inclusion in Bing News. Good luck!
