Thank you for checking out The Local Guide to Santa Cruz

Since this is a new project just getting started most of you are people who I know well or have recently met, and almost all of you are right here in Santa Cruz. Since our official launch January first we have received our first visitor from Google, and it was for the search phrase “What to do in Santa Cruz 2012” [UPDATE: a week later as our SEO work has started to kick in our traffic from google has jumped to just over 300 visitors] which may not sound like much, but it is a start, a start that will be multiplying VERY quickly!

A little about why we are doing this; Santa Cruz and the surrounding area has an amazing community, and I feel it is really the people and businesses that make it so great. After several years out of the area I have built a Graphic Design and Branding company and done quite a bit of social media marketing. Upon returning to Santa Cruz I have been shocked how far behind the curve we, as a community are in embracing the web and social media. Many of the people I have talked to in town don’t want to put the massive time and effort it takes to embrace the social web themselves. While I think that is o.k. to not want to learn it yourself at the same time everyone knows that the web and social media is where commerce is moving. Choosing to ignore Social media and e-commerce may be easier in the short term, but for most businesses it is certainly the beginning of the end.

Santa-Cruz-Ca.Org is my way of helping the Best local businesses participate in online conversations without having to embrace the web or put forth the effort required themselves. I am excited to be a strong positive intermediary, to help direct traffic and customers to local businesses while being a solid resource for the community. There are several other people and sites doing similar things in Santa Cruz, but I don’t believe that there are enough, and the more people we have talking about how great YOU are, the better!

In the mean time, Guest bloggers are already starting to come out of the woodwork, including a possible Mystery Bartender who has some unbelievably funny stories to tell. While continuing to post here I will also be launching several sister sites including the first addition to this The Local Guide to Santa Cruz project Local Guide to Soquel. Soquel.Org is far from being fleshed out, but will be the next step towards improving Santa Cruz’s online Presence.

Thank you again for checking us out, and even more for being part of the project!

Jon