Until the valuable exact matches are all pegged out, there will still be a window of opportunity for local business.

@Glenn: No doubt there’s opportunity, but the point is businesses aren’t doing the work. They’d rather pay Marchex. IssaquahDentist4.me and plenty of other attractive domains are available. Sometimes it looks like Marchex is a domain portfolio looking for a problem to solve….

As our operations transition to local SEO exclusivly, I can resonate with everything you’ve said, and more.

With regard to local dentistry search in which our efforts are heavily invested, it must be understood that the average dentist hasn’t a clue about SEO, or its ROI relative to initial patient value, or beyond.

When you attempt to explain, often the dentist’s reaction yields to his failsafe ye old caveat emptor logic, that is, it’s just too good to be true.

Regardless of proven results, years of experience and glowing testimonials, most dentists have a to-do list and happily mark off “Need website” along with the site’s local positioning and give the task(s) to whichever company their colleague suggested.

So essentially we have the blind leading the blind. That’s not strategy - it’s more like sweeping dust under a rug just to get rid of it.

j o h n

Personally, as an SEO who’s done a fair bit of local, I’m skeptical of the value to these businesses. I’ve even turned down some of them whom I thought could not gain much from SEO, due to the low volumes etc.

Original content as usual John.

Hans