• Solas Web Design, Wednesday, July 23, 2008 4:30 PM

With Google Maps, the search giant is clearly trying to muscle in on the Yellow Pages market for local business owner dollars. But as Miriam Ellis notes, many bloggers and business owners themselves have publicly called Google out for its lax (some say nonexistent) customer service when it comes to getting Google Maps business listings corrected, uploaded and kept free of spam.

Still, Ellis notes that perhaps the industry is a bit unfair in comparing the personalized service often provided by YP companies in the past with Google's automated offering.

"Google Maps and traditional YPs are different fruits, but not as different as apples and oranges," she says. "Both business models rely on using the data of local businesses for profit. Both are trusted information resources. Both send traffic. True, Google's Local service is free and YP can cost you an arm and a leg. (But) with the seriousness of the problems with Google Local Data, those high prices on full page YP ads may seem more worth it when you consider the huge difference in personal customer service."

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