10 Best Local Search Posts: January – June 2013

Why should “best of the year” roundups only come out once 12 months have passed?  Why are they all in December – and none in July?

And why are they always so retrospective?  “OK, here’s the stuff that mattered in case you were backpacking through the Gobi for the entire year – but you’d better absorb it fast, because it’s all going to be old news in a few days when the calendar flips to the new year.”

The first 6 months of 2013 have been pretty eventful in the world of local search.

In terms of “news,” a few highlights have been Google’s improved support system, the rollout of Facebook Graph search, the new Google Places dashboard, the Bing Places rebranding, the new Google Maps, and Google’s local “carousel.”

Even more important are the insights that many of my fellow local-search obsessives have offered.

I think all of that calls for at least one tally before December – don’t you?

Below are 10 of my top picks.  They’re posts that are really useful and actionable, or that give you a better sense of the current local-search “landscape” and how it’s changing (or both)

Starting from January and going through June:

Is the Google+ Local Dashboard Moving Towards a Freemium Model? – Mike Blumenthal

Facebook Graph Search and Local From Across the Web- Let the Fight Begin – Mike Blumenthal

Determining the Best Local Citation Sources for Any Market – Nyagoslav Zhekov

Google: Your NAP Should Be Consistent Both Online and in the Real World – Nyagoslav Zhekov

The Nitty Gritty Of City Landing Pages For Local Businesses – Miriam Ellis

The Place of Review Filters in Local Search – David Mihm (via Moz blog)

What is Local Search? – Mary Bowling (via LocalU blog)

A Guide to Call Tracking and Local Search – Mike Blumenthal

A Tour of the New Google Maps [15 Screenshots] – Matt McGee

Google’s Local Carousel – Trapped in Google’s World? – Mike Blumenthal

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What are some other really important, insightful, or useful posts?  Leave a comment!