The top 10 search terms by search volume.  Data are provided by Hitwise.

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The world of Local Search is cluttered with incorrect and duplicate data, especially the mapping areas we have become so familiar with. To sort out this type of information Google, Yahoo and others use a hierarchy of data providers and general information. In this article the Local Product folks at Yahoo, Frazier Miller and Shailesh Bhat talk about the process and their challenges with managing the robust amount of data. They point out that the best way to find authentic information is to use trusted vendors like InfoUSA, Acxiom, and Localeze or submit the information directly.

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With the election year in full swing, political information related to the Obama and McCain campaigns are flooding the online community.  Groups centered on political opinion are coming together in the virtual world to express their support and views on the presidential candidates. Supporters of both sides are using blogs, MySpace, Facebook, YouTube and news websites to gather information and prepare for the upcoming election. Our presidential candidates are marketing themselves online in ways that, four years ago, were never thought of. But are they leveraging all of their online resources? Are they making every effort to ensure that their presence is the strongest it can be online?

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Mapquest’s reputation for providing driving directions has expanded to a one-stop shop for all local content.  This week Mapquest Local was launched in beta.  Their goal was to add more relevant content to a users map and direction experience.  The primary obstacle hoped to be overcome was providing all the local content necessary for users to go about their day without having to visit multiple Web pages. 

Either through personal settings or through your current location, content such as: news, events, city guides, gas prices, maps movies, videos, images, traffic conditions and weather is provided for that area.  The Mapquest local team says, ”Imagine spreading out your Sunday newspaper sections all at once and seeing the highlights of all the sections on one pate.  That’s what the new MapQuest Local brings to you.”

MapQuest Local is built on an open platform that allows anyone to develop widgets for everyone’s use on their home page.   The platform also enables the integration of third-party fees from local businesses, news providers etc.  All of this provides users a source of customizable local content.

To read more about MapQuest local, check out their blog here and here.

Like most marketers, your life is probably consumed with managing your local search marketing strategy in tandem with your dwindling marketing budget. Between finding the best ROAS, pulling your hair out, and managing your local presence through IP-targeted PPC, localized SEO, Internet Yellow Pages, and Local Business Listings, you probably have missed out on a great opportunity. FREE ADVERTISING! Ok, now that I have your mind off all of your previous marketing worries, we can delve into the element of local search marketing that you conveniently overlooked.

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I just recently read a blogpost on Search Engine Land about boring products that “rocked” social media. I found this blogpost very interesting because I find myself thinking about this subject a lot. With the progression of social media optimization I wonder how easy it will be to utilize social media for products or services that are just not that interesting. It’s definitely a difficult thing to do and requires a lot of creativity.      

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In a nutshell, social media is a category of sites that are based on user participation and user-generated content. It can also be used as an “umbrella” term that defines various activities that integrate technology, social interaction and the construction of words. Some of the most popular social media sites include MySpace, Facebook, Flickr and You Tube.      

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