SmallBusinessNewz

As I've mentioned previously, you should definitely get your business listed in Google Maps, especially if you are a local brick and mortar business.

But let's remember that while Google may be the most popular, it is not the only search engine people use. I'm sure you've heard of the "big three", rounded out by Yahoo! and Microsoft.

It just so happens that Yahoo! has recently upgraded the business benefits of getting listed in Yahoo! Local Maps. Improvements noted on the Yahoo! Local & Maps Blog include:

- New Neighborhood Data at lower zoom levels with:

- 300 cities with new neighborhood data added throughout North America, from Palo Alto, to Chicago, to Toronto, etc.

- 12,000 new neighborhoods added, from "Lower East Side" (New York, Milwaukee, Bridgeport) to "Lower Collegetown" (Ithaca)

- Expanded Worldwide Coverage with much improved coverage, especially throughout Eastern Europe

- New POI information - highlighting Schools, Rest areas, Ski Resorts, etc.
     
- Additional shaded relief levels worldwide

- City label density increased for better usability

-Style improvements such as Hybrid Road and Label colors adjusted for better legibility

- Lighter map tiles - with an average of 30-60% reduction in size

Janet Meiners aka Newspapergrl recently offered this helpful nugget of advice (with links) regarding local search: "If you own a local business, you can come up higher in local search results by submitting your business to Yahoo, Google, MSN, and others. Here's where to submit your business to Yahoo Local, Google Local Business Center and MSN's Window's Live Local

Just remember, you want to be found by as many people as possible, and contrary to what some might think, Google isn't the only answer.