My new role at Google (yes, it still feels new after not quite a month!) has given me a professional interest in local search. I’ve adjusted my reading materials accordingly, and I’ve started reading blogs that focus on local. Here are a handful that I’ve discovered so far:
- BIA / Kelsey Blog
- By The Kelsey Group, a division of BIA Advisory Services that provides data and analysis on directories and local media.
- Exploring Local
- By Mike Dobson, President of TeleMapics, a company that provides consulting services focused on local search.
- Local SEO Guide
- Andrew Shotland‘s blog on local search optimization, small business marketing & search engine optimization strategy.
- Localsearchdatabase
- By Gib Olander, Director of Business Development for Localeze, an online content management company serving businesses, local search engines and consumers.
- Mihmorandum
- David Mihm‘s blog on local search engine optimization and marketing.
- Screenwerk
- Greg Sterling‘s thoughts on online and offline media. Sterling used to run The Kelsey Group’s Interactive Local Media program.
- SEO Igloo Blog
- By Solas Web Design, which specializes in web design and search engine optimization for small businesses.
- Understanding Google Maps & Local Search
- By Mike Blumenthal, whose company offers consulting services and market research advice relating to maps and local search.
Not surprisingly, these blogs offers me a critical perspective on how Google and other search engines serve the local space. Granted, everyone has their own motives–and it’s hard to avoid some tension in a space with the competitive dynamics of local search. But now that I’m no longer an outsider myself, I appreciate having others to help keep me honest as I work to make local search better for users and businesses.
2 replies on “Blogs I Read: Living La Vida Local”
Hey Daniel – haven’t caught up with you since you moved over to the new gig at Google but belated congrats.
Local is a tough space! Great to hear Google has you on the job
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[…] Finally, I couldn’t help being an extrovert: I developed warm relationships with the lead bloggers covering local search, including Andrew Shotland, David Mihm, Gib Olander, Greg Sterling, and Mike Blumenthal. Indeed, […]
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