Anyone know how to improve local search rank?

My SEO works for the regular listings well..

[sandiegophotog]

My SEO works for the regular listings pretty well..I'm ranking first or second page in Google, Yahoo, for my main keywords. But I work mostly locally and my local rank is somewhere around #30 or so. I use my zip code on my pages...anyone have an idea.
Thanks
RB

[Quadrille]

See if Google has any local partners in your area / region / country (eg yellow pages).

If they do, an entry there will help.

But the best way is probably 'local' content. Google must have some kind of 'local relevance measure', though your guess is probably better than mine. But I'm sure local telephone numbers and addresses have a fighting chance ...

[mack]

Think localy. Get links from local sites, sites that are related to your geographical area. Have zip code on contact us page, local phone numbers. Give the search engine as much help as possible to let it know where you are.

Mack.