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Remember last year when Google bought tried-and-true restaurant guide Zagat ? Well, apparently it was all leading up to this: Google+ Local . It's basically Google's answer to Yelp, except insteadof vague five-star ratings for locations, you'll getZagat's more complete 30-point system, which gives youseparate scores for food, decor and service. Google is also surprise, surprise pushing integration with Google+ by addingrecommendations from friends in search results and listing reviewsfrom Google+ users under each business. It's pretty well integrated across all of Google'sother products. While you can reach it directly by clicking on the"Local" tab in Google+, the Google+ Local results alsocome up when looking for a business in Maps or Search. Another nicefeature for Gchat users such as myself is the ability to chat whilesearching for a business, making it easy to coordinate dinner planswith friends who are online. There are also strong incentives for businesses to keep up theirGoogle+ profiles. Take the results for the Meatball Shop , a fun restaurant that, coincidentally, opened a second locationnot too far away from my apartment. On Yelp, all I get are a bunch of user reviews, a big map and somesmall tiles leading to a photo gallery. If I want to findsubstantive information directly from the business, I have to clickon the link to the Meatball Shop's website. Google+ Local puts everything in one place. Because the businessposts on Google+, I can read about specials, see photos from recentevents and more directly on its Local page. It also lets me switcheasily between photo galleries, videos and basic information aboutthe business. If a restaurant has an indoor Street View photo, Ican even take a 360-degree look around the place before deciding togo there. All in all, Google did a great job of integrating its own productswith Zagat's huge database of surveys and reader submissions.The biggest challenge for Google+ Local is getting people to engagewith Google+. Local search lives and dies by user engagement; ifnobody is rating business and uploading photos, you're goingto be light on content, even with Zagat's backlog of ratingsand reviews. Google needs to entice people to interact not an easy taskconsidering people are pretty ensconced in Facebook and Yelp. Ifthey don't, Google+ Local will look like a lot of the rest ofGoogle+: pretty, functional and empty. MORE: Overhauled Google iPhone App: Full-Screen Image Results, FasterSearch. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as China RFID Smart Cards , China RFID Vehicle Tags, and more. For more , please visit RFID Clothing Tag today!
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