Local Search
At best Local Search is a work in progress, although the results are starting to look quite polished, at least with some providers. Others have some improvements to make before their Local Search is even functional. The concept is to provide company listings that are more familiar to those still preferring to use the Yellow Pages. The results, at lease with Google, appear very similar to a yellow page ad which should not be surprising as the content for these listings comes in part from the yellow page publishers.
If you have a website take the time to research your company's Local Search listings. As this is still a work in progress the data displayed is often wrong and needs immediate attention. In other cases the search provider may provide additional options that you can take advantage of. For instance Google allows you to move the pointer showing your exact location on the map to be adjusted. My home address was off by half a block and on the wrong side of the street; it is correct now on Google but not when using Google Earth.
Currently the manor of finding your Local Search listing with Google is to simply perform a normal search for your website. Clicking on the plus icon below the description expands the page to include a map and more information. Yahoo requires going to http://maps.yahoo.com and searching for your business using the appropriate box. The other search engines will most likely require a similar approach as they offer this service. MSN, http://maps.live.com showed me being 40 miles south of the correct position with no apparent means of editing except maybe using the "Help us improve" link and explaining the issue.
It should be noted that the search engines are very cautious as to whom they allow to edit or update these listings. The last thing that we would want to see is your competitor altering your company data to suit their needs or providing them with entertainment at your expense. To edit the data will require creating an account with the search provider. Be forewarned that this is not a quick project often taking a week to see results. The provider will then contact you using an old fashioned method to help insure the validity of your registration. Depending on the provider they might phone you, send you a letter using the address from your website, both or use some other means of verification. Signing up also requires a bit of sleuthing on their page. Simply signing in or creating an account will often put you in the right place.
Local Search is still in its early stages so expect to see continued refinement of layout and features in the coming months. We can be sure though that Local Search is more than an experiment, it is here to stay.
