If you weren’t already aware of the importance of Google+ Local (aka Places) there here is a wake up call…
This is what that result shows above the fold on a 1024×768 monitor:
For those of you who missed the subtlety:
So, if you’re not doing a serious Adwords campaign OR competing in Local, you’ve basically got two organic slots that might draw searchers’ attention.
For those of us in the industry practicing organic optimisation should probably bone up on Adwords as a future skillset – think of it as diversification of your portfolio.