Local Search – 2009 Winner

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 2009 SEMMY Award in the Local Search category is … drum-roll, please …

The Local Search Ranking Factors: Ranking High in Google Maps and Yahoo Local
David Mihm | 6/15/08

Congratulations to our winner! Here’s a choice bit from the winning post:

General importance of customer reviews

Michael Jensen – For small businesses competing with national chains, online reviews can be one of the best ways to gain an advantage over multiple location national chains.

David Klein – I have found that reviews made directly to Google have a very positive benefit. They show up first!

Runners-Up

The top two runners-up in public voting were:

1. Local SEOs Share Geo Location Tips From Around The World
   Lucy Langdon, Distilled | 4/10/08
2. How to Optimize Local Business Profiles for Free Local Directories
   Steven Brier, Search Engine Journal | 4/21/08

The winner and runners-up are welcome to grab the appropriate badge — we have a badge for both winners and runners-up.

How the Voting Ended

Here’s a look at how each finalist fared in the public voting:

Thanks to all who voted, and congrats again to the winner, runners-up, finalists, and all nominees. We look forward to reading your acceptance speech soon!