Local Search Roundup - Summer's Over, Catch up on the Latest News Here

[Linda Buquet]

Between end of summer vacations and back to school craziness, I'm thinking some of you, may have missed important posts from the Local Search Forum. So here is a roundup of some of the latest hot topics and helpful updates.

I've been posting all new content at the new Local Search Forum because it's so much easier to have discussions, organize content and build community on a forum platform instead of a blog. BUT I apologize to my blog readers for not doing a better job of communicating things here as well.

So following, in no particular order, are some important recent Google+ Local and Local SEO links you may have missed.

<strong><a href="http://localsearchforum.catalystemarketing.com/local-search-general-discussions/492-local-search-engine-optimization-ranking-game-why.html" target="_self">Local SEO Ranking Game - Why Ranks High?</a></strong> - Very informative (and fun) post where we reverse engineer the algo on interesting/odd search results where we can't figure out why someone ranks high in the Google Local results.

<strong><a href="http://localsearchforum.catalystemarketing.com/google-places-important-updates/534-google-local-category-bug-bites-listings.html" target="_self">Google+ Local - Category Bug Bites Listings</a> Note:</strong> There are 2 posts at the Local Search Forum about this and here is one from the Google Business forum where Jade weighed in and acknowledged Google is working on the problem. <strong><a href="https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/business/s250xQsn9lM/discussion">Anyone else missing Categories on their Google + Local page??</a></strong>

<strong><a href="http://localsearchforum.catalystemarketing.com/google-places-important-updates/512-missing-google-reviews-ftc-complaints-several-new.html" target="_self">Missing Google Reviews - FTC Complaints and Several New Updates</a></strong>
Long discussion and new issues have come to light.

<strong><a href="http://localsearchforum.catalystemarketing.com/local-search-general-discussions/454-local-search-dream-team-tips-tools-predictions.html">Local Search Dream Team - Tips, Tools, Predictions</a></strong>

<strong><a href="http://localsearchforum.catalystemarketing.com/local-search-general-discussions/540-local-search-ecosystem-lots-updates-major-new.html">Local Search Ecosystem - Lots of Updates and Major New Graphic</a></strong>

<strong><a href="http://localsearchforum.catalystemarketing.com/local-search-general-discussions/382-whitespark-launches-citation-building-submission-service.html">WhiteSpark Launches Citation Building Submission Service</a>

<a href="http://localsearchforum.catalystemarketing.com/local-search-general-discussions/439-why-you-should-use-schema-local-search.html">Why You Should Use Schema for Local SEO - Cool Free Tool</a>

<a href="http://localsearchforum.catalystemarketing.com/local-search-general-discussions/503-new-schema-creator-wordpress-plugin.html">New Schema Creator WordPress Plugin</a>

<a href="http://localsearchforum.catalystemarketing.com/local-search-general-discussions/547-silly-local-search-engine-optimization-consultant-but.html" target="_self">Silly Local SEO Consultant But Cool Google Review Trick</a>

<a href="http://localsearchforum.catalystemarketing.com/local-search-general-discussions/523-rank-google-places-listing-1-city-surrounding.html" target="_self">Rank a Google Places Listing for 1 City in Surrounding Cities</a>

<a href="http://localsearchforum.catalystemarketing.com/local-search-general-discussions/355-rebranding-name-change-problems-google-local.html">Rebranding and Name Change Problems on Google Local</a>

<a href="http://localsearchforum.catalystemarketing.com/google-places-important-updates/187-business-has-moved-business-closed-message.html" target="_self">Business Has Moved/Business is Closed Message</a>

<a href="http://localsearchforum.catalystemarketing.com/google-places-important-updates/358-valiant-effort-help-solve-google-review-problems.html" target="_self">Valiant Effort to Help Solve Google Review Problems</a></strong> - See post #8 and #9 for important new advice from Mike Blumenthal to avoid the review spam filter.

<strong><a href="http://localsearchforum.catalystemarketing.com/google-places-important-updates/293-google-places-missing-reviews-google-local-review.html#post1734">Google Places Missing Reviews - Google+ Local Review Spam Update</a></strong> - In this post I share HINTS Jade has mentioned that give us some clues about how the new overly strict Google review spam filter works.