Google Announces 7 Local Search Updates

At Google’s annual Search On conference, the company announced seven new features and updates to local search.

These updates will significantly enhance how people explore neighborhoods, businesses, and restaurants in Google Search.

The local search changes rolling out soon include:

1. Search for restaurants by dish
2. Discover restaurant specialties
3. More support for digital menus
4. Enhancements to Google Maps’ Live View
5. Aerial views of famous landmarks
6. Immersive view
7. Neighborhood vibe checks

Read all the details about these updates in the below sections.

1. Search For Restaurants By Dish

Google is upgrading its restaurant search capabilities with the ability to find local places that serve a specific dish.

2. Discover Restaurant Specialties

Local restaurants commonly have a unique quality that they’re known for through the community.

Identifying the quality in a Google search can be difficult because star ratings don’t tell the whole story.

Soon, Google will help searchers preview and evaluate restaurants to understand better what makes them unique.

3. More Support For Digital Menus

Google is expanding its coverage of digital menus while enhancing them with rich visuals and keeping them reliably updated.

In a blog post, Google explains how it can add more digital menus without any additional work required from restaurant owners:

“We combine menu information provided by people and merchants and found on restaurant websites that use open standards for data sharing. To do this, we use state-of-the-art image and language understanding technologies, including our Multitask Unified Model.”

Google says it will showcase the most popular dishes and call out different dietary options, including vegetarian and vegan.

4. Enhancements To Live View In Google Maps

Google is upgrading a feature it introduced three years ago called Live View, which allows you to navigate directions while looking through the viewfinder of your phone’s camera.

In addition to navigating from one place to another, you’ll soon be able to search for things in your immediate vicinity.

5. Aerial Views Of Landmarks

Available today, Google is over 250 photorealistic aerial views of global landmarks.

Google doesn’t list all the landmarks with aerial views, other than to say they “span everything from the Tokyo Tower to the Acropolis.”

6. Immersive View

Immersive view will allow you to go beyond street view with an experience that takes you inside buildings and other establishments.

In addition, immersive view will show you how busy a place will be and what the weather will be like at a given date and time.

Immersive view rolls out in the coming months in Los Angeles, London, New York, San Francisco, and Tokyo on Android and iOS.

7. Vibe Check The Neighborhood

A new “neighborhood vibe” feature in Google Maps will give you a feel for a neighborhood before you visit.

Google will highlight what’s new, what the local gems are, and what’s worth exploring.

Helpful photos and information from the Google Maps community will appear on the map while browsing the neighborhood.

Google says it uses a combination of AI and user-submitted information to power the neighborhood vibe feature, which starts rolling out globally in the coming months on Android and iOS.

Content Source: Searchenginejournal.com