automate upload to google/superpages/etc local

[Dan MacNeil]

On the face of it this is dead easy:

google: on 'suppa pizza lowell'

The first listing is for the business and it is very structured,
provided either by the business or the yellow pages.

It would be a real service for us to provide these listings on Google
for agencies in our databases.

There is a bulk uploader with easy directions:
 http://maps.google.com/support/bin/static.py?page=guide.cs&guide=21029&topic=21033&answer=142908

 which requires only a google account and a tab delimited file.

 with name / address / phone / email / url

Custom attributes are possible:

  'hours of operation'
maybe:

  'directory listing url' pointing back to our site(s)

The tricky bit is:

    "Only business owners or authorized representatives
    may claim their business listings on Google Maps."

Are we authorized ?

To the 6 month update screem We could add a click through question:

 "are we authorized to upload your info to google and
 other directories, to make it easier to find your info,
 you can 'claim the listing' and manage it ourself at
 any time."

....store the answer, in our database and only upload stuff we are
expicitly authorized to to upload.

ok after an evening of searching around, the answer to these questions
is probably best obtained by posting to google local / google maps
forum. --maybe specifically asking Mike Blomenthal the non google guy
for help.

Some interesting links.

http://myseochat.blogspot.com/2010/02/local-business-listing-just-in.html
http://news.submitinme.com/newsdetails-16.aspx

http://blumenthals.com/blog/2008/10/30/microsofts-listing-in-google-maps-hijacked-oops-by-me/#comments

http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/maps/thread?tid=275de012db347d94&hl=en