Last June, I wrote a blog post that outlined the results from the Local Search Ranking Criteria Survey (2008) conducted by David Mihm. Just recently, David Mihm revisited this topic and conducted the survey again. He sent the survey to local search marketing professionals, 27 to be exact. These 27 professionals were asked to rank 49 possible factors that affect local search results on a scale ranging from “very important for ranking well” to “can hurt your ranking/ lead to penalty.”

According to the panel used, the five factors that were most significant in having a positive effect on local search rankings were:

1. Having your Google/Yahoo local business listing with the address in the city being searched
2. Having citations (references) from major data providers, such as infoUSA, Localeze, and Internet yellow pages providers
3. Associating your local business listing in the proper categories
4. Having a claimed, verified local business listing with Google/Yahoo
5. Having your product/service keywords (i.e., “hair salon,” “attorney”) in the title of your local business listing

The good thing about having this survey conducted again is that this year’s findings can be compared to last year’s findings. This can show you the mindset and evolution of local search and how local search marketing professionals are changing their opinions as to what’s important.

David Mihm comments on some of the key differences he sees when compared to last year. One of which was the location of your business in relation to the city centroid. Last year, this was a very important factor, whereas this year, the city centroid factor’s importance has diminished. However, it is still considered an important factor by many local search marketing professionals.

Another difference that was seen when comparing last year’s results to this year’s results was the importance of links within the local search algorithm. Most agreed that it is more about citations or references rather than actual links.

This study, just as last year, provided a lot of interesting information. I would recommend looking at the actual survey results. To view the actual survey results or get more detail on the survey, visit: http://www.davidmihm.com/local-search-ranking-factors.shtml