Google Looks to Keep Local Users at Google.com With Two Interface Updates

[Local Search News Curator]

Google has had a busy week on the local front. The most significant of these updates are two new local interface conventions in the main search results. Clearly Google wants increase the visibility of their reviews and it is going to do so by keeping users on their front page. Yesterday Andrew Shotland started seeing [...]Related posts:

1. Local Users Bill of Rights
2. An Easier MapMaker Interface
3. New Report a Problem Interface to MapMaker Rolled out in the US & France

Google Looks to Keep Local Users at Google.com With Two Interface Updates

What do you guys think???

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[Linda Buquet]

Mike gives a concise overview of some updates that may seem small themselves but when you look at the big picture you can see where I think Google is going.

I don't mean to imply the G+ L page is going away, it's just that there will be no reason for consumers and potential customers to ever go there if she's serving up everything they need to see, right on the main search results pages.

Related:
http://localsearchforum.catalystema...ws/9341-google-abandoning-local-listings.html

http://localsearchforum.catalystema...new-google-reviews-popup-appearing-serps.html

 

[Linda Buquet]

I just posted at Mike's:

Yes when we heard from Google the review change was an update not a test I started seeing a big picture of where this is all heading.

In a way the reviews right in the SERPs strikes me as somewhat similar to the info cards on the new Google maps with no obvious link to the G+ L page.

People have been asking if Google is abondoning Google Local listings. I don’t think it is, per se. I think the pages will still be out there. It’s just that there will be no reason for consumers and potential customers to ever go there if she’s serving up everything they need to see, right on the main search results pages (or on maps).

So it looks to me like local is still important. Managing and optimizing your data in the Places for business dashboard is still important. Getting reviews is still important.

What is changing is just the ways that Google is going to display that data to searchers. Is that sort of what you are seeing Mike?

 

[MichaelJ]

In a way the reviews right in the SERPs strikes me as somewhat similar to the info cards on the new Google maps with no obvious link to the G+ L page.

Not so obvious? Is there any link at all to get to the G+L page from the carosel?

 

[Linda Buquet]

Not so obvious? Is there any link at all to get to the G+L page from the carosel?

I said: somewhat similar to the info cards on the new Google maps with no obvious link to the G+ L page."

So my comment was regarding the info cards on Google maps, not the carousel.

But no link to G+L directly from carousel either.