Google is looking to help users find more local information by placing local search results in non-local search queries.

Instead of having to search “Dentists in Delano, MN”, you can just type “Dentists” and get local results on page one. Google is using the location of your Internet provider (ISP) to determine where you are, so there will be some variables and inaccurate results, but local search results are there.  Google is trying to improve your search results, feeling that your search probably has local intent.

Local search blogger Paul Jahn weighed in on the new local search feature and the change location ability.  Having an ISP that is local is one hurdle, but Paul points out the “change location” feature to help correct that.  As my example above shows, my results are for Maple Plain which is 10 miles from where we actually office in Delano.  There are still a few Delano results though.

Matt McGee also put together a great post over at Search Engine Land on this and gave some examples, the positives and the challenges.

Local Search Is Important & Improving
The biggest takeaway here is that local search is getting easier for the user.  Google is working to understand what you want.  It is also going to become even more important for the small business to make sure they are represented in the Google 10 pack of local results.

Small business now have the chance to compete for popular one keyword or two keyword searches.  This opportunity shouldn’t be ignored.  This addition is great on many levels and I’m sure we’ll be posting on it more in the coming months.

Last week we launched the Blackwater Coffee Company & Cafe website. While the web design project was small in size on the surface, but its part of a very big service we are rolling out.

The Blackwater web project included the following:

• Custom design elements over an existing CSS layout
• Full CMS back-end for updating of all website content
• Easy to use menu admin that allows for creating unlimited menus, categories, sub-categories, item name, description, pricing and pricing options. We’ll be adding a photo element per item in the near future as well.
• SEO Friendly URLs, on-page optimization, local search optimization
• Email marketing set-up, e-letter design and support
• Interactive calendar that Blackwater will start using next month

Here is a screenshot of their food menu.

The Big Future of Restaurant Web Design

Last year we decided to start building an industry web and marketing solution for the restaurant, bar, cafe, coffee shop, bakery …. any type of food or beverage service business. That solution is called Taste Trend and Blackwater is the first client. We are just shoring up the Taste Trend website that will allow food service businesses to buy a web and Internet marketing package online and get started. Stay tuned for more on that launch next week.

Taste Trend will provide an affordable web solution for the small food service business. The set-up fees are as low as $450 and monthly fees starting at $75, anyone can use this service. We feel we’ve created an easy to use, great looking, value stuffed, SEO friendly web and marketing tool.

Here is just some of what a Taste Trend website package offers:

• Initial consulting and recommendations
• Semi custom design with desired elements over CSS layouts
• Full web management of content and pages
• Robust menu administration
• SEO friendly design & local search help
• Email marketing set-up, service and support
• Detailed web analytics on traffic and sources
• Ongoing support and education
• Many add-ons for photos, video, calendars, gift certificates and more.

All of these great features will be accessible through the Taste Trend account dashboard, called The Kitchen.

So as you can see, we have a lot going on here and we’re super excited about it. Stay tuned for next weeks roll-out of the website. If you are interested in being a BETA client of Taste Trend, let us know. We have a few spots left!

It feels like a major accomplishment and it was.  Five Technology finally has print material! Thanks to some great collaboration with @shelleyp (Thank you Shelley!), the Five Tech brochure is alive.  It’s no easy task for a web design and online marketing crew to move our services and offering to a traditional media format.

We decided to embrace the perception of web geeks and show that we have some great personality with the cover.  We truly are creative, business savvy and geek powered.  Anything to get people to open it right?

The inside panels and back cover our web design, portfolio, content management system and Internet marketing offering.  This brochure will serve as an intro piece, leave behind and a few other uses that will surface.

We can now cross one more item off our never ending list!

I came across a great example of online marketing and offline marketing working together over the weekend. We often see traditional marketing driving people to the web, but I found something different going on. I found online marketing elements being put to use offline.

I’m old school on Sunday mornings and almost always head out to buy the Sunday paper (Star Tribune) to read while having breakfast. As a gadget and tech guy, I usually look forward to the Best Buy insert.

As I flipped through the first pages and entered into the TV section I was intrigued by what I saw. A main focus of the TV’s featured were their customer review rating from BestBuy.com.
Below is the newspaper insert.

You can see as circled above that each of the three TV’s highlights a review quote and their average customer review rating. Online reviewers are supplying a piece of the feature/benefits for these products. Best Buy is leveraging the mass approval of these products having a 4.7 star or higher average to win trust and product confidence.

Small Business Review Idea
It also started me thinking of how local business reviews could be leveraged by small businesses. An auto repair shop could communicate their “Over 50 Positive Reviews on Google” to build instant credibility. The ability to position the consumer opinion to sell for you is an interesting one. The crew at Precision Auto Repair out in California could use customer quotes and their 5 star rating to it’s advantage offline (and on their website!).

Have you seen other examples of this? This Best Buy use is the first I’ve seen and I think it’s pretty cool. I would guess a few others have done it too. It really speaks to the change in marketing we continue to see as consumers and marketers.

Over 1,000 people walked through the doors and 65 local businesses took part in the Buffalo, MN Community & Business Expo on February 7,th 2009.  Five Tech showed off our web design work and talked with expo attendees about our capabilities and offering. Below is a photo of me (Aaron Weiche)  manning our booth.

The expo is put on by the Buffalo Chamber of Commerce, a client of Five’s. It was a good time, a great way to brand ourselves locally and support the chamber. We’ll be putting together a photo and video recap for their website soon.