Hi all! Thanks to everyone who came last night! It was great seeing all of you!

Here is the information that we discussed last night and the meetup. First, the slides (please go through these first if you missed the meetup - there are important notes and stats in there):

http://show.zoho.com/...

Here are the basics steps that are outlined in the slides with the URLs:

1. List yourself in the local business directory of each search engine.
a. Google (http://www.google.com...)
b. Yahoo (http://listings.local...)
c. Live/MSN (https://ssl.search.li...)
d. Ask (pulls from InfoUSA - see below)
2. Add your business to Yellow Pages-type websites and business directories that syndicate their content.
a. SuperPages (http://advertising.su...)
b. Axciom (your business information needs to be listed with your local telephone company ? many, many online yellow pages pull from this information, so it?s important that you are listed here. You can verify this by checking AllPages.com. They pull from Axciom.)
c. InfoUSA (http://list.infousa.c...) [sends data to Google local, Yahoo! local, AOL Local, etc.]
d. Localeze (http://webapp.localez...) [sends data to Live]
e. Local.com (http://webapp.localez...)
f. YellowPages.com (http://store.yellowpa...)
g. LocalLauch.com (http://www.locallaunc...) [This company will keep one master profile and keep many other sources up to day. Convenient, but costs money.]
3. Add your business to local review/directory sites.
a. http://austin.citysea...
i. Submit your information as a ?correction? to be listed for free. There are also paid packages that offer you more options.
ii. Listings supply information to Ask Local and Live (and Ask.com powers Lycos search). Yahoo provides paid search listings on CitySearch pages.
b. http://www.yelp.com/b...
i. You need to get a review (you can create one as a customer), and then ?claim? your business page.
ii. Yelp listings supply information to Live and Yahoo
c. BOTW (local) (http://local.botw.org...)
d. Kudzu.com, aggregates business listing and reviews (https://register.kudz...)
e. InsiderPages.com (http://www.insiderpag...)
f. MojoPages.com (http://www.mojopages....)
4. Ideas for other local listings/links:
a. http://outside.in/Aus...
b. Local Chamber of Commerce website
c. http://www.ibegin.com...
d. Local libraries (some have links pages)
e. http://www.helloausti...
f. http://www.thecityofa...
g. http://www.networkina...
h. http://www.austinpage...
i. http://austin.citysta...
j. http://www.austincity...
k. Vertical directories:
i. IE. DineSite.com, PickaRestaurant.com, RestaurantPage.com, Restaurants.com.


If you are interested in some more reading, these are some fantastic blogs and sites about local search. Put these in your feedreader to stay up to date. If anyone has any that they read and I have missed, please add them!

http://blog.kelseygro...
http://www.localseogu...
http://www.localpoint...
http://www.smallbusin...
http://blumenthals.co...
http://stephenespinos...
http://gesterling.wor...
http://www.convertoff...
http://www.davidmihm....

Hi Laura, I just joined meetup and read this postin about local search.....Really good stuff. I've been working on trying to build my wife's state farm agency up: www.bridgettehearne.com in local search. I've been having some success but I feel like I have been to figuring out a lot of things as I go along. I wish I would have read this 3 months ago.... I appreciate your putting this together... it gives me a lot of new things that I haven't thought of to try. I will look forward to trying to meet you at the next meetup or sometime soon. Scott