Google Unveils Search Function for Local Businesses
Google Inc. unveiled a search service that collects information on businesses in specific geographic areas, part of a plan to get more revenue from ads tied to local companies and attractions.
The feature groups information on a business, including its website, address and photo, along with news, blogs, and reviews from sites such Yelp Inc., Citysearch.com and Urbanspoon.com. For example, a user could search for coffee shops in Portland, Oregon, or pizza places in New York and receive the results, or “clusters,” on local sites tied to a nearby map on the page.
Google, the world’s most popular search engine, is counting on local content to attract users and bolster ad dollars. This week, the company introduced an advertising program called Boost that makes it easier for small businesses to advertise on the site. About 20 percent of Google searches are local queries.
“Local is a big opportunity -- both on the user side and the business side,” said Marissa Mayer, the vice president of consumer products, who took on the new role of overseeing location and local services this month. “These clusters are a nice way to tell someone about a place. And it’s much more conversational and sensible.”
The search service will appear automatically when Google determines a user is looking for local information. This is the first time that Google has directed users to a search area instead of just having the option to click a tab on the left side of the results page, Mayer said. Tabs include options for images, videos and news.
Google, based in Mountain View, California, fell $2.13 to $616.47 at 4 p.m. New York time on the Nasdaq Stock Market. The value of the shares is little changed this year.
To contact the reporter on this story: Brian Womack in San Francisco at bwomack1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Tom Giles at tgiles5@bloomberg.net
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