Google now offers Coupons for USA businesses on Google MAPS

To assist businesses to attract additional customers, firms can now have coupon information, including images, in their Google Local Search MAPS listing.

The customer can print out the coupon to receive the offer being made. This means that small firms can compete without having to have a web site. There will be no charge by Google for the service.

Google will distribute ValPak coupons; Valpak is a large USA provider of direct mail advertising. Valpak will receive free exposure to Google's audience, and Google will receive content to offer to Google Maps users.

Businesses will be able to buy Google sponsored links to drive traffic to their coupons, even if they don’t have a website.

This will have substantial benefits in increasing Local Search traffic and sales.

Our USA Business Directory for Local Search also contributes, since the 10 million businesses listed, the vast majority of which are small businesses, have prospects sent to them 100% free of charge.

Google continues to dominate the USA search Market

Hitwise reports Google had 70.77% of all online searches in the USA for the four weeks to July 26 2008.

That is the tenth month in a row that Google has increased its search market share. It had 64.35% last July and 63.06% in January 2007.

Microsoft's MSN search had only 5.36% of all U.S. Internet searches in July, down from 8.79% in July 2007, and from 10.35% January, 2007.

This reduction is the motivation for Microsoft’s recent takeover attempt of Yahoo.

Yahoo had an 18.65% share of USA Internet searches in July, down from 22.13% a year ago, from 21.40% in January, 2007.

The continuing strong growth of Google’s search results is good news for the 10 million businesses in our USA Business Directory since it is extensively indexed on Google and the listings are 100% free of charge.

Google and Yahoo now allow USA users to opt out of online advertisement targeting

Both Google and Yahoo have decided to allow web users to be able to opt out of advert targeting on both their websites and on the web.

A one click procedure for each company will make that possible.

Analysts have suggested that Congressional hearings into the behavioural targeting of advertising, with the privacy concerns involved, are behind the decisions.

It’s thought that this will make little difference to online ad revenue because most people won’t bother to do this.

The concern for Google and Yahoo is that authorities may go further and only allow online ad targeting by cookies for users who opt in.

This is of interest for the 10 million businesses that are listed in our USA Local Search Business Directory, which is partially funded by Google AdSense, since this allows their businesses to be listed at no cost to them.

The depressed USA economic conditions reduce the growth rate of e-commerce

ComScore reports E-commerce sales for the first half 2008 were $106 billion, a growth rate of 12%, down from growth of 17% for 2007 and from 20% for 2006.

43% of those surveyed spent less on music, movies and video, 61% spent less on entertainment, 57% spent less on vacations and 53% reduced their spending on automotive expenses. 38% spent less on home improvement and 32% outlaid less on health and beauty.

Online sales of music, movies and video were reduced by 20% in the second quarter of 2008, compared to a year earlier.

Consumer spending online is now 50% with solely online businesses and 50% with retailers with an online presence.

So online businesses are generally experiencing growth rate reduction, due to the generally depressed economic conditions, and small businesses are particularly affected.

Our USA Search Directory is assisting the 10 million businesses listed, most of which are small businesses, by being 100% free for their listing.

AOL’s dial-up internet and advertising divisions are to be restructured into separate divisions

Time Warner reported that AOL revenue fell 16 percent to $1.1 billion in the second quarter due to a 29 percent decline in subscription revenue.

AOL operating income fell 36 percent to $230 million.

Online advertising revenue was up 2 percent in the second quarter. This was helped by paid search and third party ads.

Analysts suggested that it was likely that the separation into two divisions, to occur by early 2009, would lead to their sale.

So the portals are diminishing in favour while search traffic continues to increase.

This is good news for the 10 million businesses listed in our USA Business Directory, particularly since we follow the web 2.0 model and provide the business listing at no cost.

The increasing cost of USA employee healthcare

The Wall Street Journal reports that during 2008, USA employers expect to see a 10% increase in healthcare costs, which is causing some small businesses to reduce their employee health benefits or to eliminate them.

An option for small businesses is to provide employee wellness programs, with financial assistance for employees who are involved. This involves getting a health check, risk assessment and then developing a healthier lifestyle.

Prudential Insurance reports an expense of $312 per person enrolled in a wellness program compared to an expense of $574 per employee who was not enrolled. Coors Brewing Company reported participant absenteeism dropping by 18%.

So employee health is an important issue, in reducing costs, particularly for small business. We also assist in providing our USA Local Search Directory for over 10 million businesses, most of which are small businesses, at no cost to those businesses.

Local Search is in the USA increasingly being done on mobile devices

CYIA reports that more than 70% of people in the USA now have a mobile phone.

M Metrics reports that 14% of mobile phone users received SMS adverts last year.

eMarketer reports that advertisers in the USA spent 3% of total ad spending on mobile devices, an amount of $4.8 billion last year. That amount is expected to grow to 12% in 2011.

More than 10% of mobile searches are for local businesses and restaurants are the most searched.

As Google moves more seriously into the mobile search space our USA Directory for Local Search , which has substantial indexing in Google, is proving very successful, with over 10 million businesses listed, and the searches are 100% free for those businesses.