I have not wrote a piece like this in awhile, but thought we are due for a “prediction” for 2010.  So how will local search change in 2010? Drastically in my opinion, mainly due to mobile search.  Right now Smartphone’s are more like computers, with a phone, not the other way around. Statistics show that smartphone purchases will out pace pc purchases by 2011 (Chart below courtesy Silicon Alley Insider)

….hmmm…that means you will see huge changes in the coming year with mobile search becoming ever more critical, especially local search.  With Google announcing last week the purchase of AdMob , you would have to have half a brain not to see where marketing is heading in 2010 & beyond.

My internet marketing company has always focused on leveraging the power of standard search engines, but what we see happening now is a major shift in tactic.

With native, and non-native apps within these phones, there are pipelines to 100’s of businesses now geographically targeted based on your location.
For example lets say I want to go see a movie, after the movie I want to go eat some grub.  On my iPhone, I first see what’s playing so I click the “Flixster” app to find out the nearest theater to me. After the movie I can click the Flixster app again to find out restaurants nearby and bam! Local restaurants right there! (Pictures below)

How did these restaurants get in there, and other apps such as “Foursqaure” “UrbanSpoon ” (Example of NC) and others? There lies the change, smartphone optimization! Yes local search engine optimization is ever more critical because many of these applications now aggregate information directly from the engines.  On a related note! I am actually teaching a class in my hometown on “How To Get Your Business Listed In Local Search ” and this will be a highlight no doubt. 2010 should be loads of fun for the field of search marketing, and social media, so lets stay tuned!

Example of Flixster Application: