To anyone whose business is at the exact center of a city, this may not be great news.  But everyone else - which is probably the majority of people - seems to have been given a chance to get better positions in Google’s local business results.

In the old days (AKA last week and before), whatever business was closest to the center of a city was what Google stuck atop its listings.  Never mind if the business was small or big, new or old - if it was closer to the center of the city than everything else, it got a more prominent ranking.

Now, no one seems to be quite sure what goes into the standings, but they no longer follow geographic location alone.  On Search Engine Roundtable, Barry Schwartz points to where his own company has gained the “A” designation - even though a competitor is nearer to the middle of Suffern, NY - and other examples exist on the Search Engine Watch Forums.

Getting the top spot in Google’s local business results should be a valuable prize, and it’s likely to become even more important as people keep transitioning away from traditional phone books.

Check where your business stands, and if it’s not already ahead of the competition, perhaps see what sorts of reviews you can generate.

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