Will Google’s Local Search really help indie brick and mortars?

At first blush, Google’s new service, Local Search, sounds like every brick and mortar retailer’s dream. A consumer wants something…they type that something into the search window…then Google provides pages of local businesses that fit the request. In theory, it’s supposed to support shopping local.

But does it? Really?

To participate, a store first registers all their locations with the Google Local Business Center. Part of the process involved verifying those locations are, indeed, local, by offering up either a local phone number or an address that a postcard can be mailed to. If a business has more than ten locations, there’s a form they download instead simplifies the process.

In theory, the verification process (the phone call or postcard) is supposed to confirm you’re local and real (ie, not a computer doing the autofill dance). The hitch, however, is that etailers won’t need long to figure out that if they want to target certain markets, all they’ll have to do is fake a street address, then snap up a free local phone number through any one of dozens of online services that sell them. In the amount of time it takes a store in Minneapolis to register their account, someone working from their kitchen table in Poughkeepsie could do the very same thing, appearing to be a legitimate brick and mortar down the street. Given the fact the person searching is already on a computer, there’s at least a fair chance they’d be willing to purchase that way too…no need for a storefront.

This, of course, will make much of the floral industry cringe, given the problems that already exist with order takers.

Will this promote locally owned independents above big boxes? Nope. They can register too. This is a case of local = location, not local = ownership, and certainly not local = revenue reinvested in your community.

So what do I advise? Go ahead and register. It’s absurdly easy to sign up, and anything you can do to raise your business’ visibility is a good thing. With this tied into Google Maps, it sure can’t hurt. If you have photos of your business, add them (up to ten are allowed); same if you have a coupon you’d like to offer, since that’s an option too.

One of the bonuses to signing up for program is the simplified version of Google Analytics that comes with the deal. While it won’t track your website traffic (at least that’s the impression I got), it will tell you where folks are coming from when they locate your Local listing. That alone is worth something.

Until consumers find the rather tucked away link on Google to Google Product Search, this may not produce a lot of new traffic. It’s only in beta form for now, so with time, the fine folks behind the scenes may either promote the service better, or just wrap it into other search options. Time will tell.