Google has tucked a new feature into its business profiles under the reviews section called, “Nearby places you might like.” As an employee of a small business search engine, features like this get me excited. I am always looking for creative, new ways to link our ever-growing roster of members together in a relevant, cohesive manner. By adding this feature, Google provides alternatives that users may not even have known to search for. And, at the end of the day, this is exactly what a good search engine should do: bring the most relevant, useful information to the user so they can make an informed decision.
A couple of thoughts:
- » The new feature doesn’t appear in every profile. I tried five test queries this morning and then selected a profile, but the feature only appeared in three of the five:
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Search Term
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Displayed “Nearby places you might like”
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Cleaning Service near Oakbrook Terrace
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Yes
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Steakhouse near Oakbrook Terrace
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No
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Suits near Oakbrook Terrace
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Yes
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Pizza near Oakbrook Terrace
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Yes
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Television Repair near Oakbrook Terrace
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No
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» The suggestions seem to be search and profile specific, not taking your broader search history into account. For example, when I searched for pizza, I viewed a profile for Aurelio’s Pizza in Villa Park, IL. The suggestions for “nearby places you might like” included many of Aurelio’s nearby locations and also a few nearby pizza joints. None of the suggestions related to the cleaning service, steakhouse or suits I had searched for previously.
Overall I think this is a great feature, one that brings searchers even closer to the information they seek. I look forward to working a similar feature into EZlocal’s small business profiles. Incidentally, if you are a small business owner, head over to EZlocal and claim your free small business listing now. Let us help, we are happy to point potential customers in your business’s direction, it’s what we do!
