Places Search is the latest Google property to add Instant results.
Just like web search, the Instant feature is enabled by default. Users who wish to turn off instant can easily do so by clicking disable in Google’s settings when signed into a Google account. For users on Google Places not signed into a Google account, simply click on “Instant is Off” next to the search query box.
Recently, Google announced they would be using instant on mobile search as well.
Instant search is now available on Google:
- Video Search
If your NCAA March Madness brackets are as messed up as mine, you’ll need a distraction this weekend.
So, catch up with these search stories from the week that just didn’t make it into their own post.
Google Analytics is now integrated into the Microsoft Silverlight framework. They also announced they are developing a global, browser-based opt-out plugin.
Google Commerce Search added advanced synonym options.
Google Android has added Gesture Search to versions 1.6 or higher.
Yahoo! is acquiring CitizenSports.com.
AOL is expanding their local efforts.
MapQuest adds “Search Along Your Route” functionality to its mobile version.
A top mobile service harnesses its strengths to compete in the mobile ad space.
WHERE is a mobile application (both downloadable and mobile web) that focuses on local search and recommendations. This week, WHERE is launching a local/mobile ad network.
WHERE’s goal is to generate relevant ads based on location and context.
“We built WHERE Ads because we wanted to deliver a better advertising experience to our audience.” said Walt Doyle, CEO of WHERE. “Leveraging our unique access to the carrier infrastructure, we are able to deliver hyper-local, contextually relevant content. The result is that we are driving benefit by connecting the consumer and the local merchant. We’re now excited to begin offering this solution to third party publishers.”
Local advertising meets search engine optimization with new tool for marketers.
You probably know Citysearch as a local online media site. You may know OrangeSoda as an SEO provider. Together, they make a tasty, sophisticated cocktail.
They’ve come together to make your life easier. And now that the day is three seconds shorter due to the Chilean earthquake, you’re gonna need solutions like the CityGrid Complete.
What CityGrid Complete offers is a network of 100 web and mobile partners for online advertising, including search. What OrangeSoda offers is search engine optimization for organic listings.
Move is latest in location-based features for the search giant.
Google has been on a “Nearby” kick lately. In January, they added “Near Me Now” suggestions to the mobile homepage. Earlier this month, they added “Nearby” suggestions to search results within Google Maps. Now, the main Google search results are getting the “Nearby” treatment.
This time, “Nearby” has been included in the “Search Options” panel. You’ll find it under the third options set, under the link for “Social.”
Click on “Nearby” and Google will automatically bring up results based on your default location. You can also customize your location in the Search Options panel:
Answers search service expands offering to create more comprehensive experience.
You may have used ChaCha to text a question and get a direct answer back a few minutes later. You may have recently used ChaCha to ask your network a question on Facebook. Now, you can use the ChaCha web homepage to look up local businesses.
“Our goal at ChaCha has always been to provide the most accurate and comprehensive answers to our audience. This is a natural extension for our answers service, providing a way for users to instantly find and contact the businesses that interest them without additional navigation or having to deduce which search results link will provide relevant information,” says Scott Jones, CEO of ChaCha.
More cities added to compete with Google’s Street View and Bing’s Streetside imagery.
360 View is MapQuest’s street-level imagery feature. They’ve added 13 cities and 11 suburbs, bringing the total city count to 70.
If you want to see which cities are in MapQuest, simply browse to the site and then click on the “360 View” button. The map will display icons showing all the cities that are available for the feature.
Choose the city you’re interested in viewing street-level imagery:
Click on the street you would like to view:
Sponsored features are included with local biz listings.
Google has been testing a new local ad feature. You know when you search something local on Google and it presents a map with local businesses listed to the right? Well, the new feature is hanging out in there.
Look at the screenshot below, from the Google LatLong blog. You’ll notice one of the listings has a yellow box with the words “View Photos” next to it. The word “Sponsored” appears at the end, indicating the presence of an ad.
Local search engine CitySquares is the latest to incorporate Twitter into their offering. They’re allowing businesses to display their Twitter feed on their profiles.
Not only is this a great way to add an additional method of contacting your business, but it offers you the opportunity to show off your customer service chops to potential customers. Also, if you regularly Tweet about promotions or coupons, it could entice a new customer to come in and make a purchase.
Marissa Green, Marketing Associate at CitySquares commented on their official blog:
Local search site Local.com reported their Q4 2009 earnings today. Revenues of $16.4 million an increase of 8% over the Q3 2009 revenue of $15.1 million. Adjusted Net Income was $2.0 million, an increase of 49% over Q3 which came in at $1.3 million.
Traffic for owned and operated sites in Q4 was 45 million uniques per month, up 4% from Q3 2009 and up 59% year-over-year. But revenue per thousand visitors was $257, down 5% from Q3 2009′s $270, and down 7% from Q4 2008′s $275.
Local.com’s stock was down 1.96% at the time of this post.
