Google moved from its Local search from Google Labs to primetime today. Living at local.google.com, this service segments the web by geography to return locally-relevant results. Some have said Google launched this service in response to Yahoo!'s recent SmartView mapping release.
Having used both previously for different purposes, I today decided to pit them against each other in pursuit of the same goal: Finding a Starbucks near each company's headquarters.
How did they do?
Google: Google Search: Starbucks near Mountain View, CA
Yahoo!: ![[ Yahoo! Maps ]](http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/mp/gr/mplogo.gif){kind=small}
Map of
Sunnyvale, CA
Winner? Google hands down.
Conclusion: Google's search is optimized for if you want to find a business named X in zip code Y. In just one click, you get the information you need, with a quick link to a map, driving directions, etc. Yahoo!'s offering, on the other hand, is best suited to offering contextual information for an area that you have already mapped. It does well to answer the question of if there is an ATM near the ballpark. The visual approach and the dynamic tree structure can easily overwhelm the user, however, showing all restaurants in the area seemingly on top of each other. The user has to hover over each one to learn more about it (its name, contact info, etc.). While this interface is well suited to browsing in a neighborhood, it is illsuited to finding a specific establishment.
While neither is perfect, they both advance local search far beyond what has been previously available via online yellow pages and sites like Citysearch.com. I can't wait to see what's next. Clearly the competition is heating up in the search space.
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