Local Search and Internet Yellow Pages - A Whole New Vocabulary for Small Businesss

Buyers want both online and local information about where to buy Most small businesses are local in nature, serving people who live nearby. Their customers found them through traditional methods like the Yellow Pages or newspaper ads. So far, the Internet hasn't figured prominently in their marketing efforts. That's about to change, as Local Search methods become more widespread.

Even for buyers expecting to spend their money close to home, more and more of them go to the Internet to locate desired products and services. They rely on search engines to find suitable vendors in the fastest, easiest way. Local Search combines the search query word or phrase with specific geographic terms, like city or zip code. That way, search results only include enterprises in that local area.

Instead of information about a small enterprise being lost among millions of pages of search results, it shows up in a small pool of local providers. That's good for them, as well as the person looking for what they provide.

Small operations can easily be located by a whole new group of buyers Consumers don't simply go to the Yellow Pages when ready to buy - as they once did. Studies show that an astonishing 36% of online searches are conducted to find local businesses. About a quarter of all Internet users already conduct local searches. They'd do even more of it, if the desired small business data were more complete.

Local enterprises need to prepare for the impact of changing customer habits. An easy first step is to include your business in Internet Yellow Pages (IYP), along with the printed Yellow Page directory. That puts your enterprise on the radar screen.

You'll find reliable advice from experts in Yellow Pages and Local Search so you can get more mileage from your promotional dollars. Start by getting comfortable with search concepts, and improve your odds of being found when people search online for what you offer. You don't even need your own Web site to benefit from Internet Yellow Pages and Local Search.

Learn the Relevant Terms

Search Engine - method for locating the information available on the Internet; a program that searches Web pages for requested keywords, then returns a list of documents where the query terms were found Google and Yahoo, the major general search engines, have both shifted gears to make Local Search a priority when delivering relevant results.

Spider (also called "crawler" or "bot") - goes to every page on every Web site and reads the information so it can be available to searchers; to "crawl" a site it collects and indexes information from it

Specialized Search Engines - narrow focus of information crawled and indexed, like medical, business, or shopping sites

Keywords - word or phrases used by search engines to locate relevant Web pages; words chosen to improve a site's search engine placement and ranking

Search Query - search request, which the search engine compares to the spidered entries, then returns results to the searcher

Search Results - compiled list of Web pages that a search engine delivers in response to a query; the number of items returned is usually overwhelming (in the millions), so searchers only bother to view results on the first pages

Relevant Results - the test of a good search is whether the results obtained relate to what the person wanted to find, without a lot of irrelevant links

Local Search - combining a geographic term in a search query to locate suitable providers in a specific area

Pay per Click (PPC) - method of building traffic whereby site owners bid on search terms (keywords) that link to their site

Geographic Terms - specific information about the local area that can be included in a local search: zip code, town, county, geographic region, state

Top Ranking - sites shown on the first page(s) of search results

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) - fine-tuning keywords and page content so the Web site rates high in search engine results

Tags and Titles (on Web Pages) - provide site keywords and information to search engine spiders for indexing a site

Internet Yellow Pages (IYP) - directory of business phone numbers and locations in a geographic area, organized by category; searchable data base accessed on the Internet. Learn how your business can make the most of Local Search 

Make your business easy for searchers to find

The public is embracing the convenience of searching on the Internet to find information about local businesses.

However, their searches for desired information are compromised because so many local enterprises don't show up in the databases as yet. Those that do have an edge in their local market. Climb aboard! Make sure searchers can find you. For little or no money, you can expose your enterprise to the whole world.

Whether or not your business has a Web site, you need to provide the information people are looking for in the places that they look for it. Local Search and Internet Yellow Pages open new avenues to buyers ready to spend. Best of all, they support and compliment your traditional methods of finding new business. So you cover all your bases. (c) 2007, Lynella Grant

Dr. Lynella Grant Author, Yellow Page Smarts - Smarter and more effective ways to attract more YP customers in the Directory and on the internet

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?Local-Search-and-Internet-Yellow-Pages---A-Whole-New-Vocabulary-for-Small-Businesss&id=1894

Media, the Internet, Yellow Pages, and Your Business

If you are reading this article, chances are you could use a little extra money. With the advent of the internet and the migration of advertising dollars from print to electronic (and this time, it's the real thing, I swear! Not one of those 1999 tech busts!...Seriously!) If you own a small business today, you look at many advertising mediums. The majority of these mediums lump themselves into 2 categories, creative or direct.

Creative has always been the crapshoot for the small business owner. A sales rep walks into your business, espousing the greater good of television or radio advertising, quickly moves past the ratings, viewers etc and into the sexiness of hearing your name at 6:57am Monday, Thursday and Saturday if you are watching station X or listening to station Y. If this product didn't work, a Super Bowl commercial price tag wouldn't make headlines every December (for how much Geico paid) or late February (to hear which is most memorable). The key with creative is frequency. If you have realistic budget for frequency, you can make the phone ring with a creative campaign. If you have that budget you probably aren't reading this article. Realistically speaking, you don't have a ton of money to risk on creative advertising effectiveness, haven't backed it up with a call to action, and you need, pound for pound, the least amount of advertising money possible, with the most phone calls...

Enter direct advertising. Classified sections in newspapers, they make your phone ring, if you're selling something people want. (For the record, advertising in the sports section of your local paper is creative advertising (people don't go to page 5 of the sports to regularly check out the latest prices on used cars.) Classified advertising is in the process of going from the newspaper industry's cash cow to taking it on the chin from EBay (ever heard of it?) and even more attractive small town slugger, Craigslist (you go Craig!). If you're business pumps out used cars by the pound, chances are you, or your salesmen are using these two websites to start realizing savings from Rupert Murdoch and his yacht-owning cronies. Even the best of EBay or Craigslist, however, doesn't put much of a dent in your P&L statement if you are service based like a contractor, or general retail, like a bookstore.

Enter the yellow pages...Pound for pound, no other medium makes the phone ring at your business like the good old fashioned yellow pages. Throw down your money, and answer the phone. You already know that. So do all the TV stations, radio stations, and newspapers in the country. The best protected advertising budget in any small business is the yellow page budget. Yellow pages are the scourge of the other guys. How many radio sales reps will walk into your store after you started your advertising campaign and say, "Tom, your $1,000 invested with my station this week got you 48 phone calls?" (If you find a station like that please send me the phone number, and I retract everything I said earlier) When someone wants a plumber, a pool boy, a new pool, or a divorce attorney for getting the new pool without his wife's approval, they pick up the weathered old yellow pages, leaf through a few adverts, and call someone that sells what they need.

So, am I telling you to advertise in the yellow pages?,,, Not so fast Skippy...First, let's look at the cost of the yellow pages,...You want the phone to ring in Miami, and you're a plumber? Better be ready to pony up some serious cash...say $3-4k per month. In Miami, the average cost of a service call could be around $65. If you don't have a crew, that ad needs to generate 61 calls to break even, not including the employee cost, travel costs etc. Not so bad? How many calls did you need to generate those 61 service calls? Did you go see everyone that called you? I would guess, for a contractor, you might get lucky and have a 50% close rate...122 calls...to break even. Don't forget to pay yourself...200 calls. Depressed? Better be glad you don't sell shoes. The same ad would generate a much lower close rate, and you need to sell an dump truck of shoes every month!

What's my point? Enter the ELECTRONIC yellow pages...No print bill, real time changes, and guess where all those print yellow pages are putting their money these days? BellSouth and SBC just paid $100M (you know, $100,000,000) for a new domain name, and combined their "competing" forces to make a better entry in the fray, thinking that you might remember yellowpages.com better than smartpages.com or realpages.com. (Makes you wonder where Google fits into the old branding and name recognition game.) Verizon seemed to get the concept a little better with superpages.com by aligning with Mr. Gates over at MSN right around the time Al Gore was inventing the internet. Getting back to the point, the internet yellow pages are going to do to print yellow pages what EBay and Craigslist have done to the newspaper companies. No paper, no ink, usage climbing (for electronic yellow pages, usage is climbing to as high as 70% of online searching, and buying) and real-time, do-it-yourself advertising. Advents such as community ranking, mini-sites, toolbars, pay per click, pay per call, and just about every way possible to pay for performance, track performance, and see what other buyers of your goods or services thought of your business. Due to the ever changing, "who's in first place" of the internet, there has yet to be determined if there is a Lance Armstrong in this race. Our own company USdirectory.com, via its partnerships, and investment into technology, is looking to become a late entry, blue-ribbon bearer. At this point, it's too early to clearly point out which one, or all, or none, of these companies will do to yellow pages what Google did to global search. That being said, even Google doesn't reflect enough tenure to ensure its own top position.

Who wins?? You do, the business owner. Technology is about to reduce your advertising budget the way Southwest and JetBlue changed the airline industry. Your customer base, as they migrate to the internet as vehicle of choice, will reach you at lower price points, and in greater volume, then ever before. Your mission, should you choose to accept, in investing in the right mix, at the right point, and try to cater not only to your existing radius of business, but around the planet with new and specialized niches...but that's another story.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?Media,-the-Internet,-Yellow-Pages,-and-Your-Business&id=56566

Combine Your Yellow Page Ad and Web Site for Maximum Profits

A Yellow Page Ad isn't Enough Any More

An unquestioned "must" for any small business has been to run an ad in the Yellow Page Directory. Since most customers were local, that was enough to establish itself as "open for business." The annual Yellow Page ad represents the largest promotional expense for many enterprises. Yet, Yellow Page directory use is declining, while expanding segments of the public don't rely on them at all. Yellow Page advertising costs keep going up, and the complicated pricing structure is difficult to figure out. Worse yet, having a Yellow Page ad doesn't deliver like it used to.

People can find most of the information they want without ever opening a directory. Your business needs its Yellow Page strategy to be in tune with the times and your market. Like most business owners, you must squeeze maximum value from every promotional dollar spent. That requires you to move beyond treating a Yellow Page ad like it's a separate, stand-alone way to promote your business. It's not.

Your Yellow Page advertising needs to work in tandem with all the rest of the efforts you pursue. The Internet Expands Your Arena Every business needs to put itself in front of the people looking for what it does - and that's not just through the Yellow Pages any longer.

An increasing percentage of customers, who spend their money close to home, are Internet savvy. There's a major overlap between Yellow Page directory users and Internet users. That fact supports integrating your local and Internet promotional methods so they attract more new customers. Yellow Page users are likely to be Internet users as well. And a business that ignores online activities entirely may have a tough time getting access to or credibility with those customers. It is possible to make online and traditional (off-line) methods to attract customers work in tandem - improving the effectiveness of each alone.

So it's no longer an either-or, all-or-none choice whether to promote the business online or off. People who subscribe to online services consult the Yellow Pages 23% more often than non-subscribers.

Frequent Yellow Page Users are:

- 18% more likely than average to be Internet subscribers

- 32% more likely to be among the heaviest Internet users

- 18% more likely to make purchases on the Internet

- 27% more likely to spend more than $1,000 on Internet purchases

Source: Simmons

Customer Behavior is Changing

More and more, people are going to the Internet to find, learn about, or select products and services. Even local ones. That doesn't mean that they will buy online, however. People still prefer to spend their money locally when they can. But, even the smallest business can do a better job of being found by those who prefer to use both the Internet and the Yellow Page directory to make their buying decisions. And, it can be done very inexpensively, too. Even a 100% local business can pull in more business by getting its low-tech and high-tech advertising to mesh.

What Else has Changed?

- Buyers are less trusting and more willing to shop around

- Customers have more options and ways to find what they want

- Availability of Internet Yellow Pages

- Aging population uses the Yellow Pages differently than young people

- Development of unique niches and specialties

- More choices for a "better deal"

- More directories competing in a geographic area

- More immigrants, or those from other cultures, unaccustomed to Yellow Page use

- Area code proliferation fragments cities

- Larger cities have multiple directories, rather than one large one

- Development of specialized directories - like ethnic, non-English, women, minority, business to business

Become Visible Online - With or Without Your Own Web Site

If your business already has a Web site, treat it as a way to expand the reach of your Yellow Page ad and traditional marketing activities. Jettison the expectation that it should make sales - few do so. But an information-packed Web site can support your traditional marketing methods very well.

Even without your own Web site, your small business can establish an online identity that helps buyers to find you.

- Get listed in a variety of Internet Yellow Page (IYP) directories

- Send emails to your "regulars" with special offers and useful information

- Position yourself for Local Search - a method whereby customers use search engines to locate local businesses by town, state, region, zip code, etc.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?Combine-Your-Yellow-Page-Ad-and-Web-Site-for-Maximum-Profits&id=1816

White and Yellow Pages Reverse Lookup Info

Anything from simple to complicated information can be traced by searching on via reverse look up directories. Whether its information regarding people, city or a state, friends or anything, one can get it online. With the help of online databases you can find their long lost childhood friends too! The information can be accessed at databases of 411 white pages, 411 yellow pages, city yellow page, America yellow pages and many more.

There are certain reverse searches that gives information required like delinquencies, names, old address, date of birth, social security, telephones, cell phone numbers, listed telephone numbers, unlisted telephone numbers, 800-900 numbers. Databases like 411 white pages, 411 yellow pages and others provide such information.

Reverse search by cell phones can give information about adoption records, arrest records, attorney records, background checks, bankruptcy records, birth records, child support lookup, court records, correctional files, credit reports, criminal files, criminal indictments, death records and much more.

Information available on reverse lookup includes adoption records, ancestry archives arrest records, attorney records, background checks, bankruptcy records, birth records, boat ownership, child support lookup, contractor records, court records correctional files, court records, courthouses, credit reports, criminal files, criminal indictments, deadbeat locators, death records, dentist record search and much more.

Some reverse lookup directories require service membership which starts with a nominal amount and online registration on the website. Once a person becomes a member he can locate vast information available on these databases.

I write articles on Marketing & Advertising, Yellow & White Pages, etc.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?White-and-Yellow-Pages-Reverse-Lookup-Info&id=163090

What are the ethics of web scraping?

Someone recently asked: "Is web scraping an ethical concept?" I believe that web scraping is absolutely an ethical concept. Web scraping (or screen scraping) is a mechanism to have a computer read a website. There is absolutely no technical difference between an automated computer viewing a website and a human-driven computer viewing a website. Furthermore, if done correctly, scraping can provide many benefits to all involved.

There are a bunch of great uses for web scraping. First, services like Instapaper, which allow saving content for reading on the go, use screen scraping to save a copy of the website to your phone. Second, services like Mint.com, an app which tells you where and how you are spending your money, uses screen scraping to access your bank's website (all with your permission). This is useful because banks do not provide many ways for programmers to access your financial data, even if you want them to. By getting access to your data, programmers can provide really interesting visualizations and insight into your spending habits, which can help you save money.

That said, web scraping can veer into unethical territory. This can take the form of reading websites much quicker than a human could, which can cause difficulty for the servers to handle it. This can cause degraded performance in the website. Malicious hackers use this tactic in what’s known as a "Denial of Service" attack.

Another aspect of unethical web scraping comes in what you do with that data. Some people will scrape the contents of a website and post it as their own, in effect stealing this content. This is a big no-no for the same reasons that taking someone else's book and putting your name on it is a bad idea. Intellectual property, copyright and trademark laws still apply on the internet and your legal recourse is much the same. People engaging in web scraping should make every effort to comply with the stated terms of service for a website. Even when in compliance with those terms, you should take special care in ensuring your activity doesn't affect other users of a website.

One of the downsides to screen scraping is it can be a brittle process. Minor changes to the backing website can often leave a scraper completely broken. Herein lies the mechanism for prevention: making changes to the structure of the code of your website can wreak havoc on a screen scraper's ability to extract information. Periodically making changes that are invisible to the user but affect the content of the code being returned is the most effective mechanism to thwart screen scrapers. That said, this is only a set-back. Authors of screen scrapers can always update them and, as there is no technical difference between a computer-backed browser and a human-backed browser, there's no way to 100% prevent access.

Going forward, I expect screen scraping to increase. One of the main reasons for screen scraping is that the underlying website doesn't have a way for programmers to get access to the data they want. As the number of programmers (and the need for programmers) increases over time, so too will the need for data sources. It is unreasonable to expect every company to dedicate the resources to build a programmer-friendly access point. Screen scraping puts the onus of data extraction on the programmer, not the company with the data, which can work out well for all involved.

Source: https://quickleft.com/blog/is-web-scraping-ethical/

Safeguarding the Future Through Data Mining

Web scraping can be a powerful tool not only in business and research. In fact, it has the capacity to protect the future by its predicting power. You may find this declaration incredible; but data mining is indeed a tangible way of predicting future events and thus protecting life in the future.

With the thousands of years of existence on earth, humans are able to gather as much information and experience to have a glimpse of what is to come. With the cycles of changes in the environment and in the whole universe aside from the human behavior, so much can be learned and applied.

At least three major things can be determined by careful and diligent data mining. These are: future threats; future trends; and future tactics.

Future threats

According to reports, the US intelligence agencies have been using web extraction as a way of studying the present and past terrorism acts and personages to predict future terrorist events. This has been actively done since the year 2010.

Data is gathered about a known terrorist such as: his activities; his contacts; his routines; the places he frequents; and other related information. These data are analyzed and classified. Any suspicious activities as well as unusual contact are monitored closely. Through these stored data and monitoring processes, any untoward activities can be precluded and preempted. You may say that terrorists can be using data mining too; and that is obviously possible. In this way, web scraping can also be used as a weapon for destruction. There is then a need for the government agencies to be very careful in protecting their data so that the enemies cannot retrieve them.

In the overall picture, you can just imagine how many lives, trauma, and damage can be prevented if future terrorist activities are prevented.

Moreover, climate change is another phenomenon that has already been predicted and is beginning to occur nowadays. Scientists have been studying the effects of global warming and environmental degradation through online data too. So much information drives and warning have been published by scholarly papers and by the experts but many of these have remained unheeded. Now that erratic weather conditions are happening, people can only regret and feel guilty that they are part of the cause of the problem.

However, it is not really too late to do some actions. People can avoid places where abnormal conditions are expected to happen; they can do some measures to protect themselves; and they can be informed ahead of time before anything catastrophic could happen.

Future trends

In relation to the predictions of possible threats, data extraction can also predict future trends. This is most helpful in businesses because they can be helped to produce items and employ strategies that will suit the expected patrons and clients.  Since history tends to repeat itself, data gathered in the past and present if studied judiciously and compared intelligently can bring in positive results.

Oftentimes, the companies that study their books as well as of those who have gone before them can gain more knowledge and expertise that will surely put them ahead of their contemporaries.

Future tactics

Naturally, along with knowing the possible events and trends in the future, strategies and ways to combat threats and cope with trends can also be predicted through web scraping.

Safeguarding the future is no longer a dream or wish. As early as today, experts can create equipment, structures, strategies, and even weapons to prevent any untoward incidents and collateral damage.

Studying the strengths and weaknesses of the past and present plans, procedures, and tools can lead to better technologies and techniques. The future can be a better and safer place if people can learn from the mistakes of the past and go from good to better.

The statement: “The best is yet to come,” will finally be realized if proper management of data and information collected and analyzed through web scraping will be conducted.

Bright future

Looking at the horizon, one can always expect the sun to shine and bring in a bright day. This same positive expectation for the future is indeed possible. Thanks to data mining; life can be handled more securely and precisely.

It does not mean that humans have become gods. It only proves that a person’s talents and skills, when used properly can make his/her future brighter and more successful. On the other hand, carelessness and lack of sensibilities to other people and the environment can surely bring in future doom.

Everything is laid bare and you are given the chance to handle the present with enough wisdom and capabilities. Although the world is too big to be understood and there is still a huge field of knowledge to be conquered, life can surely go on positively.

Source:http://www.loginworks.com/blogs/web-scraping-blogs/257-safeguarding-the-future-through-data-mining/

About Web Scraping and Web Data Mining

Web scraping as suggested by the name simply refers to method of obtaining data or information from an array of websites. This has greatly revolutionized how companies obtain data and put this obtained data into significant use.This has greatly helped many firms and individuals in different spheres transact in the most effective ways. With the internet offering a very large base for obtaining information, various companies have resorted to use web scraping as method of getting information. Relevance of needed data is of great importance since it is the determining factor of what and how data has to be scraped. A good number of data mining companies have come up to help individuals and organizations get the information as per their requirements. These companies also provide software which when installed in a computer may be of great importance to the business.

Depending on the organizations background it may opt to choose between mining the data for themselves or actually employing the services of a data mining company. These organizations have data mining experts who actually are better suited to handle data professionally. As it sounds it is not every ones job since it is computer languages that are used therefore it is only those with relevant knowledge that are well suited to handle this jobs.

Although short cuts are considered dangerous, in this case hiring the services of this experts may bring with it better results with minimized costs than doing the job internally What brings about the idea of a company going for a particular data mining company? For obvious reasons it may because of some eye catching advertisement somewhere. Mostly businesses do extensive research when it comes to making this choice and depending on the gravity sensitivity and format of sort data. These companies provide the needed data in the most comprehensive and in the needed format hence wastage of time as a resource is unheard in these businesses.

web scraping and data mining Research done by these companies ought to be converted to meaningful results. This is done by carrying out meaning full analysis and deducing relevant conclusions from this data. This operation greatly improves the efficiency of these organizations. Analysis done on this is carried by asking relevant questions regarding some aspects regarding the operations of the business. Questions that are frequently asked may take a certain form like, how viable could this be in the short run? In the quest of these answers it is then that meaningful analysis is done.

Data mining companies have given the business word a major boost in the accusation of data from the internet which may now be considered as the largest information resource. It also through this data mining that results from surveys across various parts of the world is acquired. This eliminates the need for this company carrying out these researches for themselves .Of particular importance is the aspect of language barriers making an individual company seeks the services of a reputable data mining firm. Therefore from all the above considerations it can be deduced that, if only a business is to achieve its objectives only proper web scraping techniques from reputable firms should be employed.

Web data mining refers to ways and methods which are used in seeking information from a wide array of websites. Companies and individuals employ this in their daily operations since in the current word lack of information can be a major setback. This is simply because it is through data mining that enterprises will be able to market their businesses, get information regarding upcoming promotions and sometimes make relevant discoveries. This explains why companies are investing lots of resources all aimed in the search of relevant information. After this organizations have gathered this information implementation of obtained information is vital. Therefore data mining should be coupled with relevant implementation to count it as a success. Analysis of information is quite important .Since bulky information obtained may not be necessarily required in that form. This is done using software that is capable of giving a good analysis of the data.

Analysis is done in different ways depending on requirements like one may require a summary or categorized data. Previously when data mining was not greatly used software developments were minimal .Recently there are great improvements in this field since many organizations are embracing it particularly those in third world countries. This has greatly improved turnovers of a good number of companies. Previously many firms used to collect data manually. This of course proved to be a very slow method and a tiring one. Many firms had to increase their staff to cope with this bulk in workload. Considering this age where capitalism is thriving they risked being faced out since it is the case where only the strongest survive and the weaker ones pave way. Time was a factor in realizing an increase in number of organization using this technologically advanced approach. Usage of this collected information is actually used to foster better growth of the company.

Based on previous findings from various analysis techniques are employed by the firms employees irrespective of their ranks. For examples managers may employ web data mining to make good and realistic decisions that are consistent or better than those which other companies are using. Information may also aid in improvement of business infrastructure since in the modern word infrastructure development is on the rise. Better infrastructure acquired on time will actually give the business a big thrust ahead of their competitors. With the relevant data mining software’s companies are able to do meaningful research and developments. For instance companies are able to address issues regarding their customers preferences, their individual wants .

A company may easily know who their customers are, what they are their likes and also their economic abilities. This can be used when the company decides to give offers, discounts and many other customer enticing actions. For example a soft drink company will have to place its promotions during winter since it is then that their customers are unlikely to buy their services. With this great increase in number of resources on the websites no individual can afford to ignore data mining.

Source: http://www.loginworks.com/blogs/web-scraping-blogs/247-web-scraping-and-web-data-mining/