business listing search apis

Question

Hi,

I would like to include local business address/phone numbers into my site.

Does anyone have thoughts on using google local search api vs. twitter's geo api vs. purchasing a directory listing?

Answer 1

Mainly depends on your site and needs (real time, offline..).
Google local gives very good results, the best from my experience (compared to other apis).
You should check the terms of service of each service. If I remember correctly, google doesn't allow using it's local api if you site charges users for money.
Also, I think google TOS limits you to client side usage, but you should read the TOS to see if it's true.
Haven't tried the twitter geo api too much, but I remember it didn't fit my needs.

Purchasing a directory listing is not cheap. Again, depends on your needs; do you need US business listings? World wide? If you want US businesses, the leading companies for purchasing a DB of listings are: localeze, infousa, acxiom.