The new Google Local search in the UK

Google has just launched its Local search tool in the UK during April. Combining its own search index with the business database of
Yell.com (Yellow Pages), this search option allows users to search for a particular type of business within a local area.

This new local search function on Google reflects the increasing trend for search engines to offer a more targeted search option for regional areas. It was originally developed and launched as a US tool and also follows the earlier move in Google Ads (AdWords) to limit the way some adverts are displayed to localised searchers.

Google Local can be searched for directly from the new ‘local’ section of the site or it can be accessed from the top of the main search results list if listings are available from a relevant search. By combining a type of business or service with a location name or post code, Google Local will display a list of relevant companies taken from Yell and relevant web pages listed on Google. In most cases, companies are listed in order of distance from the chosen location, although alternative rankings may be displayed based on Google’s relevance criteria. Clicking on a company link will bring up a page with information about the business, include web links to its own site or other sites on Google that refer to the business.

A map is also displayed from the new Google Maps service, which marks the locations of the companies listed. This map is interactive, allowing you to zoom in or out, move around and also request a route map to a selected business from another specified location.

This new service will undoubtedly support business listings on Yell.com as it becomes more popular. This is good news for Yell, who are facing increasing pressure from the use of search engines to display results for localised searches. It will also further extend the range of options being offered by Google and provides a powerful new business search tool.

If you’d like to find out more about Google Local and how it could benefit your business, please contact us for more information.

Leave a Reply