A copy of the astounding google local results found by the guys over at blog.converseon.com

{Update: The local results are live as of October 27th, 2010. For more information read “Google’s New Local Results – How to Adapt“} The original article now begins…

Chris Boudreaux and Adam Edwards over at Blog.Converseon.com stumbled across Google search results for a highly local term that spells trouble for anyone who has not spent time focusing on Local SEO.

What do I mean? After all, what could Google possibly do to make local such a big deal? How about removing ALL organic search results in favor of local results! In this case the local search utilized was highly localized which is the only way this sort of result should ever be triggered. The search was for “car rental nyc” and the results were jaw-dropping… nothing but local listings were in the results where the organic rankings used to be.  Here is a link to the full-size screenshot that Chris and Adam used to document this event (I copied it to my server in case theirs got overburdened).

What does this mean for you?

First of all it is important to understand that this local search layout is by all accounts a limited test; especially since no one has been able to repeat it. That said, our industry stumbles on sneak peeks like this occasionally and they usually provide helpful insight into upcoming changes to Google’s results. So, if you are a business owner and you rely on local customers coming through your door then it is critical for you to spend some time honing your site for top local search rankings.

You might say “it’s okay, we already have great SEO on our site!” That is good news for organic rankings but unfortunately, local SEO results are governed by a different set of factors and a different algorithm. In fact, you don’t even need a website to get ranked in local search results! If you go to Google Places you will get a decent introduction to the local listings and it will show you how to claim your business profile if you haven’t done so already. Just remember to read this before you start customizing your Google Places profile so you make the most of your hard work.

I will have a lot more information for you on local SEO very soon. Stay tuned!

PS. If you want to get ahead of the rush and boost your Google local rankings please drop us a note (via quote request or our contact form) because we have the local SEO expertise to help you do just that.