Can someone please explain to me how Google Local works and how you optimize or fight for position here?
Google local picks a central point with in the city and designates that area as the "center". If you business is close to the center, you'll be higher up. You can submit your site/business to the Local Google page. Do a search for it, you'll find it.
I think there is more to it than that...That's such a simple and naive way to rank sites for a company as savvy and intelligent as Google. unfortunately, I don't know how it works.
It works like Voasi said, and what I will say is for the local results those shown on Google search : whenever you put a location in your search term Google will view companies related to your term and close to the location that you put So let s say you are searching for Direct Marketing Toronto (even if you are located in USA) you will see on the top of SERP some direct marketing companies locations in Toronto, and what decide if they are direct marketing compay is the description and title that they had written when they applied to Google local But for competetive terms like web design (any location) Google most likely will not show Google local results And it is the same for Froogle results
Google Local Search (http://local.google.com/) listing is for the business to have a geographically target. Nowadays, most of the consumers look for shopping in their geographical locality. From Google Local results, it's give business prominent exposure and more ways to be found by prospective customers. Google Local even features Interactive maps to help customers find your Business (store/shop) location. And also it makes easy for customers to find your local business (if) on the most widely used search engine, Google.com For getting in Google Local, first we need to have Google Account login and after signing up, it requires that list your mailing address info. Once we submit, they send a postcard (within 2 weeks from the date of submission) to verify we are located where we say we are. After getting PIN number by post, we've to login Google account and enter the PIN number in order to verify your listing in GOOGLE.