by Marcia Yudkin
http://www.websitemarketingplan.com/SEM/local-rankings.htm

When you’re hunting online for a roofer, bicycle repair shop or optometrist, one of the first screening criteria you use when looking at web sites is “Are they nearby?” You want that question answered in the first five seconds after landing on a company’s site. Sounds obvious, right? Yet during my judging of sites for the Webby Awards this year (my eighth time), failing to state clearly and prominently where the business operates is a common error. By taking the measures recommended in this article, you maximize the chances that people looking for what you sell where you sell it can find you online.