When you think you know Google, but realise you don't

[Solid_Web]

I've just typed "Private Investigator" into Google, location set to "Coleshill" (it's near Birmingham!)
The search results were surprising:
Position 6: <cite class="_Rm">birmingham-privateinvestigators.co.uk</cite>
Position 8: <cite class="_Rm">privateinvestigator-coventry.co.uk</cite> Both sites are the same source of information altered to suit the city - INCREDIBLY SPAMMY. They are just full of SEO text stuffing. No doubt any city you enter they will appear with [city]-privateinvestigators.co.uk..
How are they ranking with such old-skool dirty SEO tactics? You can't say they will be found eventually, because Google has released algorithm after algorithm updates to penalise sites like this.

Could it be the importance of having a local phone number and (supposedly) physical address?

[MiriamEllis]

Unfortunately, Google has had a very spotty record of policing their local-organic results since day one. I totally get how frustrating this is. The only thing a legitimate business owner can do in a scenario like this is work hard to be SO much better than the spammy stuff, that they eventually surpass it. If local business listings are spammy, they can be reported to Google, of course

[Highland]

Nobody ever said spam doesn't pay (in fact, short term spammers get lots of money potentially). But spam doesn't have long term success either. Remember, even if Google doesn't catch it now, Google is still actively trying to catch them. For a long time people said Google couldn't filter links and then came Penguin, which could filter links.

My suggestion is you report both sites for spam. Google is far more likely to take manual action against these sites in the short term. And they clearly are spam.