Almost 50 years to positively identify the “Boston Strangler”

Solving Crimes and Finding New Customers

Forensic science has come a long way over the years, and just this week it is being used to prove the identity of the infamous “Boston Strangler“. Five decades ago there was no DNA testing – and no Internet. Searching for clues to a crime or just trying to find a local company was a drawn-out process with very few resources available.

Today we have the global communication network of the Internet (thanks to Al Gore), which is publicly accessible using numerous devices from computers to mobile phones. New search technologies and web resources make it possible for anyone to find what they are looking for whether it is a forensic database or a local furniture store. The sheer volume of knowledge available has created a problem in that it can be enormously overwhelming.

“Local Search” has become a game changer

Realizing this problem of filtering massive data, search engines made local search a priority. They realized that when someone in Toledo searched for a plumber, they were not interested in seeing results from Los Angeles. This was a giant step in refining search technology, but then someone decided that cell phones could operate the same way as a desktop computer.

This created a whole new set of problems because mobile users need to see different search results than standard websites – they want to see results tailored to their small screens. Again, the search giants responded by displaying different results for mobile searches than those done from a laptop or desktop PC.

All of these technological advances create a huge challenge for anyone with a standard website. One, they need to optimize their website for local search (a topic for another discussion) and secondly, they need to have a mobile-friendly version of their site to capture the ever-growing numbers of smartphone users.

The rise of the Flathead Guide

The Flathead Guide is the official Flathead Valley Business Directory that was developed to help northwest Montana businesses increase their “local search” optimization and provide a resource to capture smartphone search results. It is a state-of-the-art marketing resource intended to assist local businesses in capturing new customers.

Does having a listing in the Flathead Guide really work?

In just the past 24 hours alone, here is a sampling of keyword searches that resulted in people clicking the Flathead Guide listing for these companies. So, to answer the question, “Does the Flathead Guide work for you?”, the answer is a resounding YES!

According to Google Analytics, the following keyword phrases were searched and people clicked on the link that displayed their listing in the Flathead Guide:

Don’t let the low cost deceive you

There are other local directories, and from a search marketing perspective, I would advise most clients to open an account with many of them. The links they provide are invaluable to a local marketing effort. However, most of these sites can cost $15, $25 and more per month, but the Flathead Guide is priced at only $4 per month.

Our objective is to provide an affordable marketing solution for every local business in the Flathead Valley. If you own a business website and want to capture new customers and improve your rank in search results, add your business to the Flathead Valley Business Directory and let us help you find new customers and make your phone ring more often.

You have questions, learn how we can help you. Contact us.