Do the local search results always come up at the top of the page in google ? ( excluding the ppc ads ) It seems that you don't have to be the top organic search result to be the top local search result, is there any relation to the two or are they separate listings? Many thanks.
These are both unique. There are plenty of cases of sites who have terrible organic positioning and great local search listings. I have seen the local results mixed in lower in the SERPs as well, they are not always the first thing you will see.