Businesses optimizing for local search as a separate subset of their internet marketing strategy are able gain an advantage over their larger competitors who tend to dedicate large budgets to paid search marketing and banner advertising. A local search is performed when someone uses a search engine to find products or services in their own local area or community. Maps began popping up in Google search results during 2008 with links to local businesses. Early in 2009 Google started to automatically include local site listings in their search results, based on your physical location (based on your IP address). Here’s our…

This year has seen a dramatic increase in the number of Australian shoppers that are willing to buy online. Harvey Norman has recently decided to launch a branded online site in the latest example that Australian retailers are getting serious about getting online. The new site will mean other retailers need to innovate online to compete. As recent media reports attest, Australian consumers are on the verge of a major shift in their shopping habits with a recent survey of more than 1000 shoppers confirming a dramatic increase in their willingness to buy online. Morgan Stanley report that by 2015…