Often times, business listings on the web are out of date or missing important information like the hours of operation or website. This makes it hard for customers to find that business online.

MapQuest Local Business Center gives business owners the tools to update their free listing and add a lot more helpful content. It also provides additional marketing opportunities to help bring in more customers and improve search engine rankings.

Ready to get started?  The first step is to create an account in the business center and claim your business. You’ll be asked to verify basic information including name, address and phone number.

Next, you can add additional information, including a business description, website, photos, business video, hours of operation, payment methods, parking tips and more.  You can even move the map marker to show the exact location of your entrance, which is very helpful for stores in strip malls, shopping malls and other multi-shop locations.

Once your information is entered, you’ll need to do a simple verification by phone or credit card (again, claim-your-listing is free, we’ll just authorize the card to make sure you really are who you say you are).

Once it’s verified, your updated listing is live within minutes on MapQuest.

You can enhance your business visibility by buying a Premium Listing, which includes a promotion that appears in-line with your business listing in MapQuest search results and on the MapQuest details page.  Premium Listings on MapQuest only are available for $99 a year.

You can also upgrade to the MapQuest Multi-site Premium Listings package bundle, which will distribute your updated information and promotion for $399 a year to a broad partner network: Yelp!, Yahoo!, SuperPages, CitySearch, White Pages, Yellowbook, YellowBot and LOCAL .

Head to the MapQuest Local Business Center to claim your listing!

MapQuest’s gas prices are:

• Highly accurate and most are updated several times per day
• Easy to find and see while you’re getting a map or driving directions on www.mapquest.com
• Available for all major fuel types including alternative fuels
• A smart way to save money wherever you plan to go

Select the "Gas" icon from the toolbar to see gas stations and prices along a route or on your current map.

To find gas prices along a route…

• Get directions from “Point A” to “Point B” such as “Denver, CO” to “Breckenridge, CO”.
• Click the “Gas Station” icon in the Toolbar above the map to see the cheapest gas stations along your route.

To find gas stations on your current MapQuest map…

• Get a map of any address or place.
• Click the “Gas Station” icon in the Toolbar above the map to see the cheapest gas stations. within your current map view. Zoom in and zoom out to change the map area and view updated gas stations and prices.

MapQuest’s gas prices are highly accurate because we update most fuel prices at gas stations nationally up to seven times per day using cost per gallon data from credit card transactions and other sources.  You can select from Regular, Mid-Grade, Premium, Diesel, E-85 and Bio-Diesel fuel-type prices in the drop-down menu to filter gas stations and prices based on your personal auto’s needs.

To select alternative fuel types, use the Fuel Type drop-down.

You can even get gas prices on the go with MapQuest’s new Android App!

Wishing you some convenient gas cost-savings and safe travels this Memorial Day weekend!

AOL’s City’s Best brings another highly relevant source of local content to MapQuest, including places with the best reputation in many popular categories such as Restaurants, Bars, Retail, Movie Theaters,  Hotels, Bakeries, Spas, Pet Shops, Ice Cream Parlors and more. The new City’s Best markets include Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Twin Cities and Washington, DC.

To easily find City’s Best listings on MapQuest, simply type your “City’s Best” search term in the one-box search field and click “Get Map”. Try search terms such as “City’s Best”, “City’s Best, Denver, CO”, and “City’s Best restaurants in Denver”.  Be sure to click on the “More Info” link for a local write-up by City’s Best editors and writers.

City’s Best current lists include the top ten venues by category and market based on the expertise of local editors. Starting today, October 13 through November 30, you can cast your vote for your favorite places at www.citysbest.com. The final “Best of”’ winners based on people’s choice will be announced on December 14. We hope you’ll vote for your favorite places!

It’s easy to customize the MapQuest Toolbar by adding your own buttons to search your favorite sites, check e-mail, scour the news headlines, or check your Facebook wall.  Click the “+Add” button and choose the websites that interest you from our button gallery or create your own buttons with links to any other site that you are passionate about.

Give it a try. It’s free and installs in seconds – Download Now!