You have to give Google an “A” for effort and persistence. It was just about six weeks ago that comScore shared some data showing Google Maps and Yahoo Local in a dead heat with about 29% share of local searches each. So, how do Yahoo and Google go about beating the other?

Yahoo tends to make fewer, but bigger, announcements. Like this one in September of a host of new Local Search tools and features. They’ve been pretty quiet since then.

Google tends to make more and smaller announcements, chipping away at the rock piece by piece. Like this one today announcing a Map Search Wizard. It’s a brain-dead tool that even Geocities users can figure out (did I just say that out loud?), and it lets you put a searchable, clickable Google Map on your web page.

Last week, a similar announcement: WebAssist Dreamweaver Tools for Google — a plug-in that web developers who use Dreamweaver (hint: tons of them do) can use to integrate Google Maps into web pages.

What does that mean for you, the business owner? The more Google Maps out there in cyberspace, the more you want to make sure your business is listed. Seems pretty obvious to me. So, fer cryin’ out loud, if you haven’t done so already, what are you waiting for? Go add your business & web site at the Google Maps Local Business Center. And don’t forget to sign up for a Google AdWords account so you can setup a Local Business Ad on Google Maps.

Oh, and since Yahoo is neck and neck in the race, don’t forget to make sure your business is included in Yahoo’s Local Listings Center. And I highly recommend buying Local Featured Listings on Yahoo, too. Cover all your bases….

[tags]local search, google maps, yahoo local[/tags]