Local Search SEMMYs
Honoring Great Local Search Content
Local Search – 2010 Winner
No Comments »
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 …
Google Maps’ New Rules – Thoughts on Assumed Names and DBAs
Scott Clark, BuzzMaven | 11/4/09
Congratulations to our winner! Here’s a choice bit from the winning post:
So, does Google consider a DBA “Assumed Name” to be your “full legal name”? It’s going to have to, in my opinion. Google doesn’t want a local Chinese Restaurant such as “Hunan Restaurant” to have to change it’s Google Map Listing to “Wai Chong Enterprises,” for example. So…if you owned a fly-fishing store, but your legal name is “Jones and Associates” Restaurant Assumed Name Localyou would want to head out and file for an “assumed name” such as “Memphis Fly Fishing Supplies, Inc.” – as long as you complete the required filings, you have probably met Google’s new requirements for “full legal name” and can claim your listing.
Runners-Up
The top two runners-up in public voting were:
- The Local Search Ranking Factors: Ranking High in Google Maps and Yahoo Local
David Mihm, Mihmorandum | 5/26/09 - Leveraging Small Business Customer Reviews and Testimonials Online
Steven Brier, Search Engine Journal | 3/24/09
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!
Posts Judged by

Local Search – 2010 Finalists
2 Comments »The judges listed below have made their choices, and the finalists in the Local Search category for the 2010 SEMMY Awards are:
The Finalists
- Leveraging Small Business Customer Reviews and Testimonials Online
Steven Brier, Search Engine Journal | 3/24/09 - SBS Mailbag: When Local Keyword Research is a Dead End
Matt McGee, Small Business Search Marketing | 3/26/09 - The Local Search Ranking Factors: Ranking High in Google Maps and Yahoo Local
David Mihm, Mihmorandum | 5/26/09 - Edit, Remove and Respond To Reviews – Tools For Conflict Resolution
Miriam Ellis, SEO Igloo | 5/29/09 - What is Location Prominence?
Mike Blumenthal, Understanding Google Maps & Local Search | 6/8/09 - Google Maps’ New Rules – Thoughts on Assumed Names and DBAs
Scott Clark, BuzzMaven | 11/4/09
Congratulations to each finalist! Please grab a finalist badge and let your readers know that public voting on the finalists has begun. (Feel free to encourage them to vote for you; winners historically have actively promoted the SEMMYS to their readers.)
Here’s How to Vote
Now it’s your turn to choose a winner! Please read each article above and decide which one you feel is the best. When you click below, you’ll be able to vote in this category only. To vote in other categories, please visit the pages listing those finalists. Voting is open now, and will close at end-of-day on January 29, 2010.
VOTE NOW IN THIS CATEGORY
(link will open in a new window)
Posts Judged by Brad Geddes, Michael Jensen, and Jennifer Laycock

Local Search – All 2010 Nominees
2 Comments »Congratulations to the following nominees in the Local Search category for the 2010 SEMMY Awards! Our judge(s) will narrow this group down to 5-6 finalists. Please grab a nominee badge and let your readers know that public voting on the finalists is just around the corner.
- What Could Save The Yellow Pages? 10 Ideas
Chris Silver Smith, Search Engine Land | 1/5/09 - The Local New Year’s Resolution I Wish Eric Schmidt Would Make
Miriam Ellis, SEO Igloo | 1/7/09 - Harness The Power Of Twitter For Local Marketing
Chris Silver Smith, Search Engine Land | 3/9/09 - Leveraging Small Business Customer Reviews and Testimonials Online
Steven Brier, Search Engine Journal | 3/24/09 - SBS Mailbag: When Local Keyword Research is a Dead End
Matt McGee, Small Business Search Marketing | 3/26/09 - Twitter: The Local Monetization Strategy
Steve Espinosa, Local Search News | 4/8/09 - I Have Seen the Future of Local Media
Sebastien Provencher, Praized | 5/7/09 - How a Search Engine Might Determine Whether a Search Involves a Geographical Intent
Bill Slawski, SEO by the Sea | 5/18/09 - The Local Search Ranking Factors: Ranking High in Google Maps and Yahoo Local
David Mihm, Mihmorandum | 5/26/09 - Edit, Remove and Respond To Reviews – Tools For Conflict Resolution
Miriam Ellis, SEO Igloo | 5/29/09 - Ranking in Local Listings
Gregg Stewart, Search Engine Watch | 5/29/09 - What is Location Prominence?
Mike Blumenthal, Understanding Google Maps & Local Search | 6/8/09 - IYP SEO Rankings Report 2009
Andrew Shotland, Local SEO Guide | 8/12/09 - Extreme Local Optimization Techniques Put to the Test
Roger Stellers, SEOmoz | 8/27/09 - How Important Are Google Maps Business Listings To Local, Small Service Businesses?
Tom Crandall, SEM Report Card | 9/7/09 - Eric Enge Interview with Chris Silver Smith
Eric Enge, Stone Temple Consulting | 9/17/09 - Google Place Pages SEO = Yellow Pages SOS & SOL?
Andrew Shotland, Local SEO Guide | 9/28/09 - If I We’re a Yellow Pages Publisher…
Greg Sterling, Screenwerk | 10/8/09 - Google Maps Sows And Reaps Incongruities
Miriam Ellis, SEO Igloo | 10/3/09 - Google Maps’ New Rules – Thoughts on Assumed Names and DBAs
Scott Clark, BuzzMaven | 11/4/09 - Google Local Research Data Released For Free
Tom Critchlow, Distilled | 12/1/09 - Google Local Business Center Categories – The Complete List
Mike Blumenthal, Understanding Google Maps & Local Search | 12/9/09 - Local SEO – A Case Study
Eric, SEO Book | 12/31/09
Posts Judged by Brad Geddes, Michael Jensen, and Jennifer Laycock

Local Search – 2009 Winner
No Comments »
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:
- Local SEOs Share Geo Location Tips From Around The World
Lucy Langdon, Distilled | 4/10/08 - 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!
Posts Judged by Michael Gray, Andrew Shotland, and David Wallace

Local Search – 2009 Finalists
No Comments »The judges have made their choices, and the finalists in the Local Search category for the 2009 SEMMY Awards are:
The Finalists
- Local SEOs Share Geo Location Tips From Around The World
Lucy Langdon, Distilled | 4/10/08 - How to Optimize Local Business Profiles for Free Local Directories
Steven Brier, Search Engine Journal | 4/21/08 - Local vs Traditional SEO: Why Citation Is the New Link
David Mihm | 5/28/08 - The Local Search Ranking Factors: Ranking High in Google Maps and Yahoo Local
David Mihm | 6/15/08 - Google’s Carter Maslan and Eric Enge talk Local Search
Eric Enge, Stone Temple | 7/14/08
Congratulations to each finalist! Please grab a finalist badge and let your readers know that public voting on the finalists has begun. (Feel free to encourage them to vote for you.)
Here’s How to Vote
Now it’s your turn to choose a winner! Please read each article above and decide which one you feel is the best. When you click below, you’ll be able to vote in this category only. To vote in other categories, please visit the pages listing those finalists. Voting is open now, and will close at end-of-day on February 2, 2008.
VOTE NOW IN THIS CATEGORY
(link will open in a new window)
Posts Judged by Michael Gray, Andrew Shotland, and David Wallace

Local Search – All 2009 Nominees
5 Comments »Congratulations to the following nominees in the Local Search category for the 2009 SEMMY Awards! Our judge(s) will narrow this group down to 5-6 finalists. Please grab a nominee badge and let your readers know that public voting on the finalists is just around the corner.
- Going Local in StumbleUpon
Jake Matthews, 10e20 | 1/23/08 - Characteristics of the Top 100 Mobile Search Queries at AT&T
Bryson Meunier | 1/28/08 - Local SEO Interview Roundup!
Miriam Ellis, SEO Igloo | 3/1/08 - Local SEO’s Share Geo Location Tips From Around The World
Lucy Langdon, Distilled | 4/10/08 - Geoblogging – How to Geotag Your Blog
Rob O’Daniel, Problogger | 4/15/08 - How to Optimize Local Business Profiles for Free Local Directories
Steven Brier, Search Engine Journal | 4/21/08 - Local vs Traditional SEO: Why Citation Is the New Link
David Mihm | 5/28/08 - The Local Search Ranking Factors: Ranking High in Google Maps and Yahoo Local
David Mihm | 6/15/08 - Google’s Carter Maslan and Eric Enge talk Local Search
Eric Enge, Stone Temple | 7/14/08 - The definitive guide on using KML for SEO
Martijn Beijk | 7/25/08 - Yellow Pages Usage Stats Are Likely Wrong
Chris Smith | 7/28/08 - The Mother of All SMX Local/Mobile Recaps
David Mihm | 7/29/08 - Ranking Factors in Google Maps – Cracking the Code SMX Local
Mike Blumenthal | 8/4/08 - Where Do Real Estate Citations Come From?
Miriam Ellis, SEO Igloo | 8/13/08 - 10 SEO Copywriting Tips for Hyperlocal Bloggers – A 5 Part Series
Miriam Ellis, SEO Igloo | 8/21/08 - How to Start a Hyperlocal Business Blog
Matt McGee, Hyperlocal Blogger | 8/25/08 - Yahoo’s Frazier Miller and Shailesh Bhat Talk About Local Search
Eric Enge, Stone Temple | 9/8/08 - Google Answers Your Local Search Questions
Greg Sterling, Search Engine Land | 10/6/08 - Microsoft’s listing in Google Maps Hijacked (oops by me)
Mike Blumenthal | 10/30/08 - Free Local Marketing Options that Bring Real Traffic
Mat Siltala, Dream Systems Media | 12/4/08
Posts Judged by Michael Gray, Andrew Shotland, and David Wallace

Local Search – 2008 Winner
1 Comment »
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 2008 SEMMY Award in the Local Search category is … drum-roll, please …
Anatomy & Optimization Of A Local Business Profile
Chris Silver Smith, Search Engine Land | 12/17/07
Congratulations to our winner! Here’s a choice bit from the winning post:
Rating values have become one of the most important factors for achieving rankings in various local search engines, so you shouldn’t ignore them. Ask your particularly pleased customers to rate your business online in each of the major directories and local search engines. Some rating services allow you to respond to specific complaints or negative statements—do so. If you suspect that a competitor has falsely stacked the deck against you, complain to the company hosting the reviews and request that they look into it.
Runners-Up
The top two runners-up in public voting were:
- Local Search Interviews, Information, and Resources
Michael Gray, Graywolf | 2/5/07 - When Might Google Show Local Search Information in Web Search Results?
Bill Slawski, SEO by the Sea | 8/12/07
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!
Posts Judged by Brad Geddes and Barry Schwartz

Local Search – 2008 Finalists
1 Comment »The judges have made their choices, and the finalists in the Local Search category for the 2008 SEMMY Awards are:
The Finalists
- Local Search Interviews, Information, and Resources
Michael Gray, Graywolf | 2/5/07 - Location Prominence and Differences in Local OneBox and Google Maps
Bill Slawski, SEO by the Sea | 2/8/07 - Local Numbers: Setting the Record Straighter
Greg Sterling, Screenwerk | 3/1/07 - Google Local Search Glossary
Bill Slawski, SEO by the Sea | 3/4/07 - When Might Google Show Local Search Information in Web Search Results?
Bill Slawski, SEO by the Sea | 8/12/07 - Anatomy & Optimization Of A Local Business Profile
Chris Silver Smith, Search Engine Land | 12/17/07
Congratulations to each finalist! Please grab a finalist badge and let your readers know that public voting on the finalists has begun.
Here’s How to Vote
Now it’s your turn to choose a winner! Please read each article above and decide which one you feel is the best. When you click below, you’ll be able to vote in this category only. To vote in other categories, please visit the pages listing those finalists. Voting is open now, and will close at end-of-day on January 30, 2008.
VOTE NOW IN THIS CATEGORY (link will open in a new window)
Posts Judged by Brad Geddes and Barry Schwartz

Local Search – All 2008 Nominees
4 Comments »The following are the nominees in the Local Search category for the 2008 SEMMY Awards. Our judge(s) will narrow this group down to 5-6 finalists. Congratulations to all nominees! Please grab a nominee badge and let your readers know that public voting on the finalists is just around the corner.
- Local Search Interviews, Information, and Resources
Michael Gray, Graywolf | 2/5/07 - Location Prominence and Differences in Local OneBox and Google Maps
Bill Slawski, SEO by the Sea | 2/8/07 - Google’s forced choice for the Authoritative Web Site
Mike Blumenthal, Understanding Google Maps… | 2/12/07 - Local Numbers: Setting the Record Straighter
Greg Sterling, Screenwerk | 3/1/07 - Google Local Search Glossary
Bill Slawski, SEO by the Sea | 3/4/07 - The Latest Local Search facts and figures
Simon Heseltine, Search Engine Tigers | 3/7/07 - Local Search: Users First?
Cathy Hillen-Rulloda, Avante Gardens | 3/27/07 - Google Reviews: Reputation + Quality + Snippets + Clustering
Bill Slawski, SEO by the Sea | 4/6/07 - Yahoo tackles Geographic Challenges of Web Search Results
Bill Slawski, SEO by the Sea | 5/20/07 - Girl Scouts with Guns: Geographic Coding in Google Location Searches
Bill Slawski, SEO by the Sea | 8/5/07 - When Might Google Show Local Search Information in Web Search Results?
Bill Slawski, SEO by the Sea | 8/12/07 - Yahoo Local Now Features “User Denigrated Content”
Mike Blumenthal, Search Engine Land | 9/11/07 - Everything You Need to Know About FRO (Fake Review Optimization)
Andy Hagans, Tropical SEO | 9/20/07 - Five Reasons Why The Mobile Web Sucks
Scott Karp, Publishing 2.0 | 9/26/07 - Give Local Search Marketing a Shout Out with PlaceShout
Lisa Barone, Bruce Clay Blog | 10/11/07 - Local Search on Facebook
Larry Sullivan, Local Biz Bits | 10/11/07 - Geotargeting Location by IP Address = SEO Death
Andrew Shotland, Local SEO Guide | 10/14/07 - The REAL Problem with Local Search
David Mihm, Mihmorandum | 10/25/07 - How many Google Coupons are there?
Mike Blumenthal, Understanding Google Maps… | 11/3/07 - Anatomy & Optimization Of A Local Business Profile
Chris Silver Smith, Search Engine Land | 12/17/07 - Google Reviews Review
Miriam Ellis, SEO igloo | 12/18/07
Posts Judged by Brad Geddes and Barry Schwartz




