Google has upgraded its Location Based search facility, which is part of the main Google search interface. When searching for a location, for example “London UK”, Google will provide a small map of London as part of the returned search engine results. The map is often at the top of the page. Google has enhanced this service by adding 6 thumbnail images of the searched location, to the right hand side of the map, in the search results page. This allows users to see images of the location and enhances the existing service.



This offers yet another incentive for Search engine marketing professionals, where appropriate, to start optimising their sites image content based on location. Google Location based search offers another indirect route to marketing a website. It’s still early days for this technology and there is a very big opportunity for sites to utilise the service and indirectly market there website content.

Article by Creative SEO – a Search Engine Optimisation Consultant based in Devon.

Google have created an amazing new gadget which allows your websites visitors to search for direction to your business directly from your website using Google Maps.

This great new tool allows any business to provide customised directions to their clients using Google Maps. You will no longer need to type out complicated lines of directions, the Google Gadget does all the hard work for you and all your customer needs to do is update their own location and away you go.

“The gadget allows you to pre-fill the “To” field with one or multiple addresses. Customers are able to print their directions with a single click. And for those who prefer not to drive, the gadget also provides walking and public transit directions.” Taken from the Official Google Blog.

This is a great Gadget and one that could be utilised by almost any business. It only goes to show that sometimes the simple ideas are the greatest ones.

Author: Creative SEO UK

The mobile version of Google Maps has always had a “My Location” button which will plot your exact location using your mobile device and GPS. Google have now added the “My Location” button to the desktop version of Google Maps. In order to view the new icon you will need to be running a compatible web browser, currently this is Google Chrome 2.0 and Firefox 3.5. You can also use any web browser with Google Gears installed on it.

The new icon is located below the onscreen compass interface and above the zoom and street views icon.



On testing we were able to get a location but unfortunately it was 5 miles away from our actual geographic location. Apparently the location can be calculated by using local Wifi points to triangulate the approximate location of the user. It would be interesting to hearing your comments on whether you have had any success using the new button. It might be that there is no public access points is our direct location which has resulted in the results being inaccurate. Have you been able to make this service work, let us know?

Author: Creative SEO UK

Google joins the real estate market allowing users to search for a property to buy or rent using Google Maps.

The launch of Google Maps has revolutionised the internet and now Google has taken it one stage further with the introduction of Real Estate and Property for sale listings which now appear directly on a local property search within Google Maps. This service is available on the US version of Google Maps but this does include UK and worldwide property listings.
 

It is obvious that this service is in testing and is still in an early stage of development but you have to be impressed with the quality of the results. Finding the link to the service is a little difficult and could easily be missed. If you perform a Google maps search for “New York Real Estate” in Google Maps US you will notice a small Advertisement above the sponsored links on the left hand side of the map interface. The text reads “Real estate on Google Maps”. If you click on the link you will be taken to the new Google Maps real estate interface. Currently the service allows you to search and filter results by listing type, number of bedrooms, number of bathrooms and the square foot Area. You can also search for properties within a certain value range i.e. from $100,000 to $150,000.
Each property result is shown directly on the map and offers links to get directions, search for properties in the surrounding area, visit the property on street view, save the property or send the property details by email or directly to your phone or GPS device.

The full page description offers further details including images, web pages and estate agent and realtor details. You have to remember that this is currently a completely free service and data is currently being pulled by Google from real estate websites and Google base. With that in mind this truly is a great service allowing users to view properties for sale in an area, from a variety of different agents, on one easy to use map interface.

We will have to wait and see how the Realtor and Estate Agency industry reacts to the service, the National Association of Realtors have been quoted as calling Google a site “Scraper”. It’s important to see this not as a threat but as a new channel of marketing properties and with that in mind Realtors need to embrace the technology and make sure there properties are listed as soon as possible.

Article by Creative SEO UK

As the recession continues travelling abroad might not be an option this year for many families. More and more holiday makers are choosing to stay at home, planning their own holidays in their own countries. This is where Google has stepped in, yet again, with the launch of a new experimental product called Google City Tours.

It’s very evident that this product is in an early stage of development, there are many bugs and a few browser errors. What’s important is to look at the concept which looks to be very strong. The idea would be to allow a user to plan a holiday itinerary, directly onto Google maps, setting up travel times, visits to attractions, hotels and more. The system will print an itinerary which can be used on your holiday.

City Tours offers even more, it will analyse a destination and plan an itinerary based on the destinations local attractions and landmarks. Potentially City Tours could use search popularity to recommend the most popular attractions in any given destination.
Google City tours has the potential to become a very useful and popular product, its still very early in its development but it is well worth a visit. Click here to visit City Tours.

Article by Creative SEO