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It may have been, there have been no announcements from Google about it yet. Google makes about 500 updates a year, mainly the major ones get announced.

Hi Chris, As Andy has correctly stated, virtual businesses are not eligible for inclusion in Google's local products. In order to qualify, a business must: 1. Have a unique, physical street address (no PO boxes, virtual offices or shared addresses) 2. Have a unique, local area code phone number (not a toll free number or a shared number) 3. Have in-person transactions with its customers, either at the place of business (like a restaurant), or at the customers' locations (like a plumber). If your company doesn't meet all 3 of these criteria, then it doesn't qualify. Thanks for asking a good question.

Yes, you can disregard my guest blogging comment. That will teach me to slow down when I read. As I mentioned later, seeking reviews is good, especially if you are using some criteria as you outlined. What I would try to do is gain links in other ways as well to help diversify the type of links you get.