As if it were any surprise, Verizon is currently asking legislators from Virginia and Maryland for permission to stop delivering the local white pages to everyone except those who explicitly request it. One of the country’s premier phone service providers, Verizon has already been granted these permissions by five other states. By early next year, the company hopes to have these changes made in all twelve states in which it offers its services.

What director of public relations Harry Mitchell calls a shift to “on-request delivery” heralds the inevitable death of the phone book. According to the Washington Post, about 2 percent of residents are actually requesting phone book delivery in states where forced delivery is out of practice. While also citing environmental benefits, Mitchell also noted that “the nature of the way people are getting information is evolving.” Both Verizon and AT&T–who has reportedly pursued similar permissions–say that “most people search for numbers online,” according to the Post.

This news has immeasurable implications for your business. Though these changes only affect delivery of the white pages at this time, rest assured that the yellow pages are on their way out too–well after people have stopped using them entirely. This is especially important if you are wasting money on advertising in the phone book or have not established a visible online presence for your business. Talk to a small business specialist at Outrank.com to see how you can achieve this at a fraction of the cost of other advertising methods.

If you read Outrank.com’s blog offerings on a regular basis, you’re probably familiar with the launch of Google Instant and its implications for SEO success. More recently, users now have the ability to view a thumbnail-sized screenshot (or “image-based snapshot,” in company lingo) of  any listing directly on the search results page.

The thought is that this technology will allow users to make better decisions when choosing what results to click. Google claims that, from their initial observations, users are noticeably more satisfied with the result they click after viewing a screenshot. The image, which is shown when a user clicks a corresponding magnifying glass icon, is intended to emphasize the most relevant sections of the page.

With this feature, users are able to more easily discern quality pages from spammy ones. Relevant text is highlighted in orange within page previews for further screening. Previews can come in handy when you need to recall a page you visited earlier. They can help you find an official or authoritative source for information. Previews are also a great way to sidestep cyberattacks from shady websites that occasionally sneak into SERPs.

For Outrank.com customers and other legitimate small, local businesses, this can only be helpful. Our optimized websites are professional-grade, battle-tested products that continually bring in new customers for our clients. Most of all, they are search-friendly and designed to attract and convert potential customers searching for products and services in your neighborhood. Call us at (877) 332-4321 to get more business for yourself.

With millions of searches being performed on Google every day, SEO has emerged as the best way to reach a large audience at a low cost. Not surprisingly, the same tactics used by Outrank.com for small business success are being widely used by politicians to provide information to voters and to shape public opinion.

With the US midterm elections in full swing, political hopefuls at all levels of government are discovering the full potential of  search engine marketing. Recently, campaign strategists have made headlines by using SEO to make negative information about their opponents more visible. For years now, voters have used the internet to inform themselves about candidates. In the past few days, Google has noted a significant increase in searches for voting registration and polling places that shows no sign of slowing down in the future.

These tactics have a proven, measurable impact on your business success. This is why companies like BP are throwing large sums of money at search marketing campaigns. Hiring a capable SEO means having control over the way potential customers view your business. Just as Americans turn to search engines for voting information, they are using search to find the services you sell. Call Outrank.com at (877) 332-4321 for a free consultation.