Our crack legal team has suggested we mention that the prevoius post was entirely a work of fiction and intended as parody. Or that the previous post was inserted into our feed by a nefarious hacker. I can't remember which.

Just before today's update to Google's News personalization form, this version appeared for a few brief seconds, shedding light on possible new features in an upcoming release...

1. Given the current polarized atmosphere, providing the ability to filter results according to political leanings is not surprising, but the default settings will be viewed as a bit heavy handed.

2. After countless complaints, Google apparently has agreed that users should be able to dial back the Panda update in News results because "spun" articles have such a rich tradition in American journalism.

3. While less sinister than hiring an agency to highlight a competitors shortcomings, referring to this feature as "Personalization" is a bit of a stretch. An internal document claims that the "None" and "Fewer" buttons were omitted due to the long label, but a casual glance shows this is not entirely true.

4. We almost missed this one. Unable to find a legal way to incorporate results from other search engines, Google, in a bold move, will evidently allow users to swap algorithms to uncover otherwise missing results.

Ask around and you'll hear that after claiming and updating your Google Places page, nothing is more important than citations for improving search results for a local business. A citation is basically any mention of your business that associates your business with a location. A citation is not necessarily a link—just a mention will do. The quantity and quality of citations is a powerful signal to the search engines that your business exists and is where you say it is. And the more confidence Google has in your location, the more likely you'll be found in Google's all-important local results.

So how do you get these little gems? It's actually easier than building organic backlinks, since there are so many sites that actually want your local listing. But easy doesn't mean quick. Be prepared to invest 40 or more hours of your own time unless you're willing to spend a bit of money for a good automated LSV (Local Search Visibility) service.

There are many curated lists of citation sources around the web, but many of the best sources will be specific to your location or niche. It's well worth your time to look beyond the search engines, IYPs and review sites to dig up as many opportunities as possible. Here's a quick run down of the type of sites and sources you'll want to take advantage of:

• Search engines (Google Places, Yahoo Local, and Bing Local)
• IYPs (CitySearch, YellowPages.com, SuperPages.com, etc.)
• Reviews (Angie's List, Yelp, Brownbook, MerchantCircle, ShopCity, etc.)
• User-generated content (MyMaps, KML files, etc.)
• Vertical directories (search for "[industry] directory")
• Event calendars (search for "[city] events")
• Hyper-Local Sites (search for "[neighborhood] [city]")
• Local Groups and Associations (sometimes worth joining groups just for the listing)
• Unstructured NAPs (ask link sources to include Name, Address, & Phone)
• Inbound anchor text (ask link sources to include localized keywords)
• Location service check-ins (encourage customers to check in at your location)
• Geo-tagged content (upload and share geo-tagged images and videos)
• Your competitors citation sources (click the "more" link at the bottom of their Google Places page)
• Your own website (you should be your own best citation source!)

More than 20% of searches have local intent, and over half of mobile searches have local intent. Add to that the fact that Google often assumes local intent even when a location is not specified. This is why a high organic search rank is no longer enough for a company doing local business. Local search results are based on an entirely different algorithm—one that relies heavily on local citations.

The good news is there's no end to the opportunity. The bad news is it's a time consuming process. The pleasant surprise is that for a relatively small cost, a big chunk of this work can be done for you, and an immediate ROI is likely to result.

When 32 top experts on local SEO were asked to identify the most important factors for achieving greater visibility in local search, there was nearly unanimous agreement on what belongs at the top of the list: Claim and update your Google Places page. Assuming Google knows you exist, Google has already created your "Places" listing, including a dedicated page with details about your business, photos, reviews, and more. So where does this information come from? Unless you have claimed your own page, it comes from anywhere Google can get it, including submissions from random strangers and your competitors. So here's a quick why, where, and how to claim and update your page:

You've done it! And it was easy and free! Now keep the listing updated, continuing to add timely information, specials, events, etc., and responding politely and professionally to reviews. And don't forget to check out your Google Places dashboard to view analytics on activity, impressions, actions, keywords and more.

That buzz you've been hearing may just be the 38 million Yelp users talking about businesses—including yours!—in your community. But there's no need to let people talk behind your back. Yelp give business owners a way to join the conversation, and build customer relationships while you're at it. It's easy, fast, and most likely, profitable.

1. Claim or add your business profile on Yelp. Yelp calls this "unlocking your profile." It takes about two minutes and is completely free. Once your profile is unlocked, you will be able to:

• Communicate with your customers (both privately and publicly)
• Update your business profile with description, photos, services, and more
• Promote special offers and discounts
• Announce events, sales, and important dates
• Track how many people view your business page

2. Let your customers know you are on Yelp. This will give your customers an opportunity to tell others about their experience with your business. Yelp encourages you to do this, and will even provide "People Love Us on Yelp" stickers for businesses that have many positive reviews. At the same time, Yelp warns to never solicit reviews. This seems a little disingenuous, i.e., Tell your favorite customers, "Hey, we're on Yelp... wink, wink." but don't say, "Please leave a nice review." Of course, it makes sense for Yelp to say this, both to protect their brand and to make the service as valuable and trustworthy as possible. The bottom line is, don't spam Yelp. Yelp uses very effective filters to block spammy reviews. More importantly, other Yelp users and businesses can smell overly-positive, solicited reviews and could create trouble, including adding negative reviews to your profile. Genuine reviews will accrue gradually over time, and while 70% of Yelp reviews tend to be positive, even the most favorable will likely include both pros and cons.

3. Engage your customers. Yelp is a two-way street. Okay, it's a thirty-eight-million-way street, but we're talking about the back and forth that Yelp makes possible between you and your customers. Set yourself up to receive email notifications when reviews about your business are added, but don't write a word until you've read Yelp's excellent article on Responding to Reviews. This article offers a succinct, step-by-step tutorial in how to best engage happy or unhappy customers, not only on the Yelp site, but in any social media forum.

4. Create offers and announcements to promote sales, specials, press releases, events, etc. This is one of the most powerful tools available to business owners on Yelp. Why? Because these announcements will show up on your business page, in Yelp's search results, in the Offers and Announcements directory, and could even be included in Yelp's weekly email blast to local customers. Also, Google indexes these pages, so they may even reach out beyond Yelp's site. Just make sure offers and discounts are worthwhile, and presented in a concise and attention-getting style.

5. Review other local businesses on Yelp. Once you've set up your Yelp account, you're ready to add reviews for other businesses as well. This is quick and easy, and well worth the time. Business owners who see positive reviews from a neighboring business will be motivated to return the favor. As stated above, don't gush; simply write with honesty and respect. Remember, your review is directed to potential customers here, not the business owner. To make this even easier, grab the mobile Yelp app for your iPhone, Droid, Blackberry, or Palm Pre.

Postscript: Yelp has faced criticism and even lawsuits alleging that Yelp offered to remove bad reviews for customers who purchased advertising. Yelp has vehemently denied the practice, and said the confusion came from a policy that allowed businesses to highlight a "favorite" review if they were a paid advertiser. Yelp has since removed this feature and made their filtering methodology more transparent to protect their reputation as a repository of unbiased reviews.

On December 23, Mashable posted a list of the 150 Best Business and Marketing Resources From 2010. That's a lot of reading! In case you don't have 12 hours to spare, here's a condensed list of the 10 most practical and actionable articles for marketing your local small businesses in 2011. (Summaries excerpted from articles.)

And best of all, you now have an extra 11 hours to enjoy Chrismas with your family!

In a recent interview, Google Vice President, Marissa Mayer, succinctly summed up her company's four key areas of business: Search, Mobile, Local and Social.

Nice to know, but if you're a small business owner, why should you care about how Google is structuring their business? Because, while Google's product may be information, Google's business is advertising. And Google has structured their business model around the four spaces that matter to any advertiser or business trying to reach people online.

So Google's "four key areas" provides a valuable metric by which to measure the reach and scope of our online marketing efforts. Or, put another way, 'Does our marketing plan really take advantage of the full spectrum from Search to Mobile to Local to Social?' Even today, the majority of businesses have have barely tackled half of one, i.e., they've worked on SEO for their Web site. (Paid advertising being the other half of Search.)

SEO has been the golden calf of online marketing for well over a decade, and it's still critical to your online success. But online marketing is not a one-cylinder vehicle, and putting all your effort into tuning one cylinder may leave your business sputtering and making little headway. Why not build on what you've already accomplished by exploring news ways to reach more customers in new spaces online.

Lucky for us, Google has given us a nice set of buckets to help organize our ideas. Here's a non-comprehensive list to jump-start your thinking. Which of these online marketing tools or techniques have you employed, and which do you need to learn more about?

Feel free to tell me what I have left out or put in the wrong bucket. Then pick just one new opportunity from the list above and put it to work for your business.