Consumers are using their mobile devices for local search and social networking in increasing numbers. The Q1 2010 Smartphone Intelligence Survey was released today by Compete and the results spell opportunity for local business.

What does local search marketing have to do with with surfers paddling out beyond the breakers waiting to catch the next big wave?

Google Places just rolled out the latest service area feature, a long awaited local business listing capability. Service area solves a real dilema but the jury is out whether business listings will actually show up for local search queries across the entire service area.

Citations are defined as “mentions” of your business name and address on other websites. And you need citations to help reinforce your local business listing credentials to improve your search engine ranking. The term “web reference” is a synonym for “citation”. Find out more about how citations are critical to your local business listing.

The Google Maps service provides a useful service for pedestrians and people traveling on foot. With Google Maps, when you choose the “get directions” link, you’re given an option to select a route that is more suitable for traveling by car, public transit, walking, or bicycle.

Sooner or later, it had to happen. Recently, a women blames faulty walking directions she received using Google Maps after being hit by car in Utah. How about a little common sense?

Local businesses recognize the need to achieve high visibility on the major search engines, Google, Yahoo and Bing. Local search enables consumers looking for local businesses and services nearby to add a geographic location to their search phrase.

Geographic location can include city and neighborhood names as well as zip code information, for example, “best dentist simi valley”, or “best dentist 93065″. With local search becoming the preferred method for consumers looking for nearby businesses, it’s critical that local business pay attention and incorporate local search into their marketing strategy.

However, as small and local business owners are discovering, even local search marketing can be very competitive. And it can be elusive and frustrating to achieve a prominent first page local search ranking on Google.