Google Local integrates maps, local product search

Everybody agrees that local search is going to be very big in the next couple of years. Say you're looking for a place to buy an digital camera in a particular city. Just do a search for "digital camera in MyTown", and Google Local will give you a detailed street map of the area along with stores that carry the product, and locations indicated on the map.

Since products are indexed by keyword, you can search for virtually anything, rather than being restricted to the categories pre-defined by a service like the yellow pages.

Also unlike the yellow pages Google Local includes all stores they have a listing for, not just paying advertisers. Local gives you a map with locations, plus listings with links direct to the stores. The potential for this resource seems awesome.

Plus Google Local has integrated a very slick map utility that arguably looks better (simpler) and in some ways works faster than other services such as MapQuest. For instance, you can search for a relatively obscure place like Carlyle, Saskatchewan or Brora, Scotland and you are taken to a detailed street map for the entire region. If you are looking for a broader overview of the area, you can just grab the map and scroll along a highway or the coast without having to click on navigation arrows as you do with MapQuest.

Google has also integrated its satellite imaging service into Local. If you are looking at a specific map and would rather see a satellite image of the area, just click on "satellite". Or if you would like to see the satellite image with a map overlay, you can see that too, by clicking on "hybrid".

from Linknet News