The latest comScore findings show that Google is growing and gaining more control with 66.8% of the search market, up .1% from last month. Bing is still very far behind Google with 15.6% of the search market, however it’s up .2% from last month which shows it is gaining traction. Yahoo, on the other hand, continues to lose its grasp on the search market with a .4% decrease from last month which brings it to 13% of the search market.
Check out this graph from comScore for all of the details.
Check out the top SEO, search engine and Internet marketing industry news stories from around the Web this week.
Google’s January Search Update: Panda in the Pipelines, Fresher Results, Date Detection and More
Check out the latest updates from Google, including a new Panda algorithm update, fresher results, autocomplete, date detection and more.
Facebook Turns 8, and Together We’ve Grown
In honor of Facebook’s 8th birthday, Mashable takes a look back at the evolution of the social network.
Latest Google Search Revamp Brings Opportunities for Local Businesses
Google’s newest updates will likely allow local businesses to combine their SEO and social media strategies using Google+.
Social Media Ad Spend: 89% on Facebook, 39% on Twitter and 18% on Google+
See which social media networks advertising agencies plan to use in 2012 with this report from Strata.
Google Instant: Only On When Your Computer can Handle It
Google Instant now has a new default preference, it’s only enabled if your computer can handle it, otherwise Google will automatically disable the application.
If you’re a local business owner trying to make a name for yourself online, local search engine optimization (SEO) is what’s going to help you do it. Want people to find your business in the search results instead of your competitors? Here are 5 quick local SEO tips that you can use to help make that happen.
1. Complete your Google Place page. Claiming your business’s Google Places page then completely filling out all the information, including all five videos, all 10 photos, business hours, payment options, contact information, etc. will drastically improve your search rankings.
2. Make sure you have a physical address in the city you want to be found for. Businesses that are physically located in the city searched for have the best chance of ranking for keywords in their city. Chances of ranking well in surrounding areas decrease significantly unless you have a Google Adwords pay-per-click advertising campaign.
3. Submit your business to local directories. The more local directories your business is found in, the more chances you have to be found on page one of Google, Yahoo! and Bing search engines. Make sure your business appears in directories like Yelp, Facebook, Merchant Circle and more.
4. Encourage your customers to write reviews. Google takes into account how many reviews your business receives and whether or not they are positive. Gaining many positive reviews will boost your search engine ranking significantly.
5. Keep your business information consistent. Even so much as having your street address written using “St.” in one directory and “Street” in another can hurt your rankings. Search engines like to see clear, consistent information, which means inconsistent business information can hurt your rankings drastically. When submitting your business to directories or claiming your business, make sure you are always using the same format to write your business name, address and phone number to avoid this.
Need help with your local SEO campaign? Get some help from the local SEO experts at Local Splash. Check out our services today.