In an effort to bolster the quality of its Google Local search listings, Google has signed a content provision agreement with infoUSA, a long-time and respected compiler of business and residential information. As noted by SEW, Yahoo! already uses infoUSA for some of its local-search information, so Google's maneuver might bring the two services into closer alignment. Currently, the discrepancies between the two, when comparing identical searches, is jarring. You might think that better results would be a valuable distinguishing feature, but for the marketplace as a whole I think it's better that results be reasonably constant across platforms (as is the case with mapping and driving directions), with services distinguishing themselves through usability and surrounding features, as Google clearly does in Google Maps.
