I invited 20 experts active in the Local Search Marketing community to participate in this study, with the goal of identifying the factors that would be most helpful for ranking well in the Google and Yahoo Local Search algorithms, as well as techniques to be avoided.

With that in mind, I felt that it was time to survey the experts once more to gauge the factors most helpful for ranking well in the Google and Yahoo Local algorithms, as well as techniques to be avoided. This year's edition of the LSRF contains responses from 27 prominent bloggers and practitioners.

It is my hope that this study will help small business owners confused by Local Search, or those strapped for time, to prioritize their marketing efforts.

Most listings in yellow pages and local search engines may be comprised of just a basic name, address, and phone number. But businesses should take the trouble to add in as much of the other elements as they can since all the information provides differentiation and helpful information for consumers. In many local search and directory sites, most of the enhancement data can be added in for free, yet millions of businesses have never taken advantage of the full scope of free advertising available to them.

The following is a collection of terms and definitions from a number of Google’s patent filings on Local Search. It’s possible that not everything discussed in these patent applications has been incorporated into Google Local search – but the interesting thing about many of these patent filings is exploring whether or not they may have been.

Now, whether you have a web site or not, a business that Google ranks highly in Google Maps can get dramatic exposure thanks to last month’s change. How dramatic? Well, according to Bill Tancer’s Hitwise data, Google.com gets about 100x more traffic than Google Maps. So, yeah, this can be huge for some small businesses.

In the Local algorithm, links can still bring direct traffic from the people who click on them. But the difference is that these “links” aren’t always links; sometimes they’re just an address and phone number associated with a particular business! In the Local algorithm, these references aren’t necessarily a “vote” for a particular business, but they serve to validate that business exists at a particular location, and in that sense, they make a business more relevant for a particular search.

Don’t be afraid to mention your location on your Web site. Don’t make it a secret to the engines or your customers. Let them know where you live, where you work and where you’re from. It’s natural information that both the search engines and your users are going to want to know. Who do you target? What area(s) are you relevant to? When are you open? How can people can find you? Tell them.

What’s useful for people to find your location faster, is useful for the search engines as well. Here’s my top 10 factors to include in a local landing pag, starting from the top to the bottom of the page. Original Source: How To Create Effective Local Business Landing Pages

Let’s skip the corny, canned jokes and the awkward moments at the podium and just open the envelope, shall we? Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of the 2010 SEMMY Award in the Local Search category is … drum-roll, please …