Local Search Standards?

One of the biggest “problems” with on-line marketing is that there is no set standard to what we do. I have mentioned this before but today, I had lunch with my friend and associate Nick Stamoulis of Brick Marketing and we were talking about it. Because of this, small businesses can easily get burnt. This is one of the frustrations, we professional and knowledgable marketers have to deal with. Education is the answer.

A few months back, Mike Blumenthal of Understanding Google Maps & Yahoo Local Search posed the question, “As we move forward to what I call the age of the iPhroid with who knows what transactional and social capabilities, does Local need to be held to a higher standard to truly succeed and play a trusted role in our lives?” and asked a number marketers what their thoughts. Below are links to the various responds:

Does Local need to be held to a higher standard? Danny Sullivan and Chris Silver Smith Respond
Does Local need to be held to a higher standard? Ahmed Farooq Responds
Does Local need to be held to a higher standard? Bill Slawski Responds
Does Local need to be held to a higher standard? Matt McGee Responds
Does Local need to be held to a higher standard? Greg Sterling Responds

This is a very good set of articles. Local search is a growing search marketing technique and the search engines are working constantly to improve their local search results. Local search is not perfect but it is getting better. From the articles above, is there one quote that summarizes them all or one line that really tells the story? Not really.  All are worth your time reading and will help you get a better idea of what local search results should/need/current provide to its users.