Back in February I spoke on a panel with Gab Goldenberg and Chris Silver Smith on Local Search and Blended Results. SMX West was a fantastic show – and while I know a lot about local search marketing – I realized that there’s always another angle to view things from.

I chalk that up to being jaded into a routine where I’m working within a specific niche of local search listings. Trends and ranking criteria that I view (and sadly get accustomed to) don’t always apply the same way across all categories and verticals of local search.

At SMX West Matt McGee introduced me to David Mihm. David struck me as a great guy who was eager to learn new ideas… but it was also clear he knew what he was talking about too with the quiet confidence he possessed.

Fast forward from February to June 15th, and David Mihm simply owns local search. Citing “SEOmoz’s biennially-published Search Engine Ranking Factors” and relying on people like Bill Slawski, Mike Blumenthal and seventeen other contributers — Local Search Ranking Factors, Vol. 1 was introduced. (See David’s blog post for his take on the document as well as reader discussion.)

David indicated that:

It is my hope that this study will help small business owners confused by Local Search, or those strapped for time, to prioritize their marketing efforts.

Umm, yeah dude. Success.

There are forty one elements and then six negative listing factors included in David’s guide. All of these are listed in order of importance using the contributors’ collaborative thoughts on each element while being conscious of Yahoo! Local and Google Local.

So, call up Matt McGee and the Semmy judges and hand one over to David now. If you need me, I’ll be sitting at the kids table waiting to get served. Again.

Amazing job David – and thank you for putting thing in perspective. There’s always more to learn, and this guide does an amazing job of documenting everything in play.