Google Inc. www.google.com announced the official launch of Google Local, merging the technologies behind Google Local and Google Maps. No longer in beta in the U.S. and Canada, users can visit http://local.google.com or http://maps.google.com to find local search and mapping information in one place.
With the launch of Google Local, users will be able to go to one location to find the entire local and mapping information they need, said Marissa Mayer, director, Consumer Web Products, Google Inc. Whether it is directions to the nearest pharmacy or reviews of nearby dim sum restaurants, we will continue to develop innovative technologies that enrich our users’ lives.
With the change, Google’s local search tools for the United States and Canada are being taken out of the beta, or testing, phase, said Bret Taylor, the product’s manager. The company’s local search engines for the United Kingdom, Japan and China remain in beta _ a label that technology companies attach to products that don’t have all the bugs worked out.
The hybrid service blends addresses, phone numbers, maps, driving directions and other details, like user reviews and credit card information, on the same Web page. Google also offers a satellite-mapping option that provides an aerial view.
By combining maps with local search, Google is following its rival Yahoo Inc., which already provides a similar package, said industry analyst Greg Sterling of the Kelsey Group.
Mountain View, Calif.-based Google remains the most widely used search engine with a 37.3 percent share of the U.S. market through August, according to comScore Media Metrix, a research firm. Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Yahoo ranked second with 29.7 percent share followed by Microsoft Corp.’s MSN at 15.8 percent.
Yahoo has been in the local search space a little longer than Google, so it has some things that are a little more developed, Sterling said.
The heavy volume of inquiries is crucial for Google because its financial health depends on the ads displayed beside search results. The company earned $712 million on revenue of $2.6 billion through the first half of this year.
Google’s maps also have made significant inroads since the company began testing the service early this year. Google’s maps have proven so popular that some developers have used them to chart crime patterns in local neighborhoods or pinpoint places selling the least expensive gasoline.
In August, Google’s maps attracted 14.3 million unique U.S. visitors, ranking second behind America Online’s better established Mapquest, which drew an audience of just under 39 million, according to Nielsen/NetRatings, another research firm. Nielsen stopped tracking Yahoo maps after company fused the navigation tools with its local search features.
Access to local and mapping information is a natural extension of Google’s ongoing mission to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. Google will continue to add local search and mapping functionality to Google Local as the product evolves.
Google’s innovative search technologies connect millions of people around the world with information every day. Founded in 1998 by Stanford Ph.D. students Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google today is a top web property in all major global markets.
Google’s targeted advertising program provides businesses of all sizes with measurable results, while enhancing the overall web experience for users. Google is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia.
All the search engines are striving to make it easier for visitors to quickly find helpful information about local businesses as more consumers turn to the Internet instead of the Yellow Pages.
The Kelsey Group expects the trend to generate $3.4 billion in local advertising sales by 2009.