Mapping It Out: Our Top 10 Local Search Columns For 2014

Consumers have grown increasingly reliant on the web for discovering local businesses and determining which ones to patronize. In fact, a survey conducted by BrightLocal earlier this year revealed that 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations, underscoring the need for businesses to build and optimize an online presence.

Local business owners and search marketers responded to this trend accordingly, eager to roll up their sleeves and get to work. This was evidenced by the fact that many of our top columns in 2014 were tactical, providing readers with practical tips and advice for improving their local search campaigns.

Perhaps the biggest curveball of the year for those in the local search space came in late July, when Google released its new local search algorithm, which we dubbed “Pigeon.” The Pigeon update changed the way rankings were calculated for local search results, and readers turned to our expert local SEO columnists to help them understand its impact.

In case you missed them during the year, be sure to check out our top 10 Local Search columns of 2014:

1. Why Did Google’s Pigeon Poop All Over Big Local Brands? by Andrew Shotland. Published on 10/27/14. 1.1K social shares across all platforms.
2. Learning SEO From Google Employees by Chris Marentis. Published on 11/24/14. 2.4K social shares across all platforms.
3. One Positive Pigeon Result: We Can Finally Ditch Ranking Reports by Greg Gifford. Published on 9/15/14. 1.6K social shares across all platforms.
4. 6 Local Tips For Small Business SEO Success by Wesley Young. Published on 2/3/14. 2.1K social shares across all platforms.
5. Simple Tips To Set The Stage For Local SEO In 2015 by Greg Gifford. Published on 11/10/14. 2.2K social shares across all platforms.
6. 12 Things To Check In Your Local Homepage SEO Audit by Chris Silver Smith. Published on 10/6/14. 1.9K social shares across all platforms.
7. Why “Barnacle SEO” Is Making A Big Comeback In Local by David Mihm. Published on 3/26/14. 1.9K social shares across all platforms.
8. 5 Tips To Kill The Competition In Local Search by Jason Decker. Published on 2/5/14. 1.3K social shares across all platforms.
9. Post-Pigeon Best Practice: How To Optimize For Internet Yellow Pages & Directories by Chris Silver Smith. Published on 9/8/14. 1.3K social shares across all platforms.
10. Simple Math To Show Potential Clients Why Local SEO Is Important by Greg Gifford. Published on 10/13/14. 1.7K social shares across all platforms.

Methodology: Columns published in 2014 are ranked in order of pageviews measured by Google Analytics. Data were gathered on December 4 and include all columns published through December 3, 2014.