We are a LE partner and if you're a Local SEO organization, the investment is worth it in my opinion.
Just to clear a few things up, the investment is $1,500 upfront but it's $50 a listing after that for a year. The $1,500 gets you 15 listings and you must pay the $1,500 again the next coming year if you want to continue with them.
One issue that Phil brought up that I found interesting was that maybe Google will start to devalue LE in the local search algorithm. I don't know how Google would ascertain a listing in a local search directory is due to LE or not so I don't think it will play a role. Maybe they take a direct feed from LE and may devalue the one citation that LE directly provides but I doubt it. Even then, we don't subscribe to LE for their submission to Google. We subscribe for the syndication.
Also, to put things in perspective, Acxiom does the exact same thing with a little twist. Acxiom will not take a new listing if it's not in their database (much like LE) unless you prove to them that the business actually exists. How do you prove that you may ask? By submitting tax or licensing information to them via fax or email that shows the business name, address, and telephone number...you're kidding me, right? No, I am not.
Even then, they ask for 30 days to get the listing into the system just for you to claim it. Then, from there, it makes its way into the feeds apparently.
Anyways, sounds like a sad change for Local SEO's and a push for their paid product, which will probably work as I think LE is just too important for LSEO's to neglect. It may also be a data integrity issue as well because Acxiom does pretty much the same thing but they do give you a few hoops to jump through just on the off chance that you really, really want your listing in there. Just make sure you feel comfortable faxing or emailing your confidential tax or licensing info.
