Cindy Krum (@Suzzicks), the diva of mobile and a frequent LocalU speaker*, has produced an interesting tool: a Mobile Search Simulator. It provides the ability to perform local searches in a specific zip code and then compare the results across two different mobile devices.

While the product and interface are not yet tuned for any volume and require a fair bit of input for any one search (Cindy tells me that it is actively being developed for better productivity) the tool captures some of the nuances of local mobile search and highlights the differences that Google might present between different mobile phones.

The results are interactive and you can dig into a result to understand a given listings visibility on different display sizes and at different points in the search journey:

I am still waiting for a tool that would allow me to track mobile search results across a linear range of zip codes (for example the line between the city and a suburb) and help me understand where on that transect one could hope to find the appropriate demographic profiles for a given business. And automate that process by exporting those searches to a rank reporting tool.

An intersting gleaning is that Google consistently presents results differently across iOS and Android devices:

* Take a look at Cindy’s recent talk at LocalU Seattle: Mobile-First Indexing for Local SEO