Local SEO Tools and Resources
The aim of this guide is to be a central reference for local SEO resources.
We’d like to think of this as kind of a “living page” – as new resources and tools emerge, we’ll list them here.
If anyone has any resources to suggest for this page, please let us know.
Educational Resources
Learn how search engines rank local businesses and how you can better position your own business in the search results.
 | GetListed.orgDavid Mihm and Pat Sexton launched this project in January 2009. You really must check it out for yourself – it’s much more than an educational resource. |
 | Local Search Ranking FactorsDavid Mihm launched this study, a SEMMY winner, in July of 2008. It presents the results of an extensive survey of twenty local search experts regarding factors that determine what makes sites rank for local queries. Bookmark this – it’s an immense resource. |
 | Ranking Factors in Google Maps – Cracking the CodeThis post at Mike Blumenthal’s blog includes his slides from his SMX Mobile & Local presentation, “A Quantitative Look at Ranking in Google Maps.” While the presentation was undoubtedly better in person, the slides offer some unique and helpful visualizations of the topic. |
 | 10 Likely Elements of Google’s Local Search AlgorithmThis post by Matt McGee of Small Business Search Marketing covers the known factors in Google’s local search algorithm extensively but accessibly. Matt’s blog covers small business and local search marketing – do yourself a favor and subscribe to his RSS feed. |
 | Mike Blumenthal on Strategies for Local SEOThis interview of Mike Blumenthal by Rand Fishkin of SEOmoz covers a lot of ground. Mike is one of the stars of local search, and the amount of detail and knowledge he brings to the table well justifies the respect he’s garnered. |
 | Extreme Local Search Optimization TacticsThis post by Chris Silver Smith goes into some extreme, yet effective, tactics for optimizing for local search queries. |
 | Local Search SEMMY AwardsThe SEMMY awards, developed by Matt McGee and David Mihm, select the best of the best in internet marketing every year. The Local Search category highlights the best posts of the year in this topic. Every one of the nominated posts is worth an attentive read. |
 | Local SEO GuideAndrew Shotland’s blog, focused primarily on local SEO & marketing, is a steady stream of smart and fresh content. Andrew puts a lot of research and expertise to work in writing his posts, and it shows. |
 | TMP Directional Marketing Studies / White PapersTMP Directional Marketing has done some impressive research over the last couple of years into local search trends. Two of their studies were conducted by comScore. The study results and white papers are available for free via the TMP website. |
Tools
While there isn’t a wide array of local SEO tools available (yet), here are some great tools that we’ve used for our own work and research.
| GetListed.orgNo, this isn’t a mistake. GetListed.org gets two listings. Not only is this a great educational resource, but their LocalDashboard™ tool is a thing of beauty. It makes claiming your local business listing in the major search engines a sinch. |
 | SEOmoz GeoTarget ToolThis tool from SEOmoz scans your site for an address listing, checks your server IP address and presents the results in Google and Yahoo! for a search for your local business listing. |
Places to List Local Businesses
The following is a list of websites where you can submit your local business listing to increase your exposure and citations on the web.
Search Engines:
 | Google Local ListingsGoogle’s local business listing service – arguably the most important place to get your local business listing because of Google’s lion’s share of the search market. Cost: Free |
 | Yahoo! Local ListingsQuite similar to Google’s local listing service, a Yahoo! Local listing will display for queries determined to be local-oriented for your geographic area. Cost: Free |
 | Live Search Local ListingsLive search is a distant third in terms of the search market, but this still represents a large number of search users. Considering listings are free, it can’t hurt to add your business. Cost: Free |
 | YelpYelp is a popular site for local business, restaurant and venue reviews. It has a large and growing user base. Cost: Free |
 | CitySearchCitySearch is a competitor of Yelp that is also growing a respectable user base. In March of 2007, CitySearch acquired Insider Pages to expand their coverage of local businesses. Cost: Requires a pay-per-click advertising plan. Costs vary. |
Directories:
 | Yahoo! Regional DirectoryThis is the regional section of the Yahoo! Directory – one of the most trusted and central directories on the web. Cost: $299 annual fee for commercial listings. Non-commercial listings are free (but there is no guarantee your listing will be featured quickly) |
 | Best of the Web LocalBest of the Web is an extensive, established and trusted directory. Their local section is a great place to list your business. Cost: Basic listings are free, but higher plans with more visibility and features range from $19.95/month to $60+/month. |
Citation Sources:
Citations are essentially mentions of your website or business at other websites (they are not necessarily links to your website). Citations are considered important for local search optimization.
The following services allow you to list your business. They also aggregate their data to search engines and other websites.
 | iBegin |  | InfoUSA |
 | Insider Pages |  | Localeze |
 | Openlist |
