How does one build these kind of quality links? There are at least four well-known methods, and creative website owners can come up with more. First, you can ask for them. At conventions, conferences, meetings, anyplace where business of your website may be discussed, ask for quality links. If someone has a site you respect, and it relates to your product, simply ask them to link to your site. It’s good old networking at its finest. Second, you can write articles that promote your website, or your product or service, include a link back to your home page, and offer it for publication on Internet. There are numerous forums for doing just this – try Googling some search terms to come up with them. Third, get on Internet and find directories that relate to your product or service, and ask for a link to be placed. This is an easy step that most website owners can take themselves. Finally, and perhaps best way – build a great site! Put up great content, and other sites will link to you. Because, in end, that is what Internet is all about – disseminating information. Add valuable content, in terms of information, to your site, keep adding it over time, and gradually, people will link to you. If you build it, they will come.

What to do while major players sort out field? If you are a website owner with a local focus, now is time to start getting familiar with new opportunities: check out Yahoo’s new “paid inclusion” program (offered via Overture); Citysearch is worth a look; Google is beta testing a local version of Ad Words; and Internet Yellow Pages from Yahoo and Verizon are both worth evaluating. And don’t forget to optimize your site for search, through appropriate use of keywords plus geographic modifiers. Beyond website owner, boom in local search affects anyone involved in local commerce. Whatever your role, it’s important to be aware that an economic sea change is taking place. Remember that consumers make most of their purchases within 50 miles of home. Like politics, most business is local. Any major change in how consumers shop for those purchases is an important economic event.