Google Local Launched In Canada

Shiifty writes "Globe Technology is reporting that Google Local has gone live in Canada. Google.ca partnered with Yellowpages.ca to deliver local answers to search queries by cross referencing Google's 4 billion website database with Yellowpage's 2.4 million listings. Google cited a Kelsey Group study, which said that 25 per cent of all commercial on-line searches are now local in nature."

Comments

Re:Local, eh?

[networkBoy]

http://www.inuvik.ca/index.html
Offical town of Inuvik website (just for kicks)
-nB

Busted

[hey]

I looked for "computer store" (and similar words) in "Toronto, ON" and it found nothing in the Toronto computer getto at College and Spadina. There are dozens of stores there. Maybe they should have got some people to know Canada to try this before going beta.

Re:Busted

[dgmartin98]

Try using your postal code in the location box, instead of the word Toronto. That's where Google Local becomes really amazing.

Newswire article

[nuclearsnake]

MONTREAL, Sept. 21 /CNW Telbec/ - Yellow Pages Group (YPG) today
announced a strategic agreement with Google that will make its business
listings available on Google Local Canada, a new local search service that can
be found at http://local.google.ca . As part of the agreement, YPG's 2.4
million Canadian directory listings will be available on the new Google site,
helping to provide users of the service with comprehensive local search
results.
"The distribution agreement provides great benefits for both our
customers and users conducting local searches," commented Jean-Pascal Lion,
Vice President - Electronic Directories, Yellow Pages Group. "In addition to
YellowPages.ca(TM), it gives users another entry point to access our
information which ultimately provides our advertisers with greater exposure.
It really is a win-win situation."
"With the backing of YPG's up-to-date, extensive business listings
database, this new functionality will significantly enhance the user's
experience when doing a search on Local.Google.ca or Google.ca by providing
complete local Canadian information through a single source," notes Mr. Lion.
According to a Kelsey Group study, 25% of all commercial online searches
are now local in nature. Google Local addresses the growing online local
search market and represents the next step in local search technology. YPG's
network of Web sites received 3.8 million unique visitors in July 2004 and
Google Canada's sites received more than 12.3 million unique visitors during
that same period(1). With their combined reach in Canada - more than 72% of
all Canadian Internet users - and their extensive data, YPG and Google should
optimize the relevance and completeness of local searches.

blogged

[dirvish]

This was on the Google Blog two days ago.

Use Yellow Pages Categories

[Anonymous Coward]

Use yellow pages categories, like Auto Parts

</HINT>

Worked great for me.

Re:Local, eh?

[dsanfte]

I don't know why you guys think Poutine is local to Quebec. I've seen it on restaurant menus in Alberta. It's a nice, fatty food. (Good for a treat)

local eh?

[Fyre2012]

Both google.ca and local.google.ca traceroute to servers in California... Go fig. I'll be a happy man when Canada actually has some more impressive network capabilities of it's own, instead of routing and piggybacking everything to the US. (sorry if the department of homeland security scares me...) This includes the talented programmers and people who operate the networks themeselves, who all seem to go to the states for the $$. I know we're laying lightpipe down everywhere to get ready for something big coming down the pipe... At least in the greater Toronto area, that is For the record: Name: local.google.ca IP Address: 64.233.167.99 Location: Sunnyvale (37.417N, 122.061W) Network: GOOGLE Name: google.ca IP Address: 216.239.57.104 Location: Sunnyvale (37.417N, 122.061W) Network: GOOGLE

Re:local eh?

[GeckoX]

What does the location of google's servers have to do with piggybacking bandwidth in the states? Google is located in California, why wouldn't their servers? Just because it's a service customized for canadians doesn't mean it has to be provided from in canada. It is the internet after all right?

FYI, Canada has some of the fattest pipes in the world crossing coast to coast. Try tracing something that is actually IN Canada too. Unless your ISP dumps you stateside, you're likely staying on canadian pipes the whole rt.

Um, yes it does. kthx.

[DanglingDongle]

I tested plenty of things in 3 much smaller communities than windsor. It found many results; often a few more than the local yellowpages. Seeing as a search for "plumber" in Windsor, ON gives over 15 pages of google results, and the second result is in Windsor (not Detroit), did u really go through all of the pages? I doubt it, but there are many more results in Detroit, that I agree with. It is a familiar interface though, so skipping through those 15 pages wouldn't take that long if you needed something.

This is not likely Google's fault though, I'm sure the Detroit pages that get spidered, happen to have Windsor somewhere on their page, hence they are listed. Maybe a better algorithm could help, but I'm not sure how that type of thing could effectively be filtered (if its even possible).

I just don't think you can make the "Doesn't Work" comment just because you live in a border city where this problem would actually occur. Its kind of like saying that cell phones don't work because they have problems in certain areas.

DD

Re:Canadian Google?

[Anonymous Coward]

'eh', not 'ay'. fucking americans.

Superpages.ca does this as well

[nathanliesch]

Superpages.ca has an option called distance search that I have found quite useful in finding local businesses.

Google Local is Cool

[monsterhead78]

Google is using web pages, online phone directories, etc., to get the locations of local businesses. You then enter a location and some set of keywords; google returns the results. The results are mostly sorted by distance to the specified location, but Google's ranking can override this. And Google will sell locally-targeted advertising. As with all their services, the sponsored links are clearly labeled as such aid displayed in a distinct area on the search results page.

The online Yellow Pages are one of the few legacy databases I use on a regular basis. I am amazed by the clunkiness of the GUI and the general uselessness of these online interfaces. Yellow Page advertisements have traditionally been a huge cash cow for the Baby Bells. If Google can sway users to access their online directories instead, significant advertising dollars should start flowing to this friendly directory service -- and away from the traditional Yellow Pages. One wonders what countermeasures the Baby Bells -- and other owners of Yellow Pages services -- will launch.

Effectiveness at using search engines is enhanced by studying them; I'm wondering if Google has contemplated buying/subsidizing one of the better guides to using Google (like O'Reilley's _Google Pocket Guide_) and distributing on a massive scale. I'm also interested in seeing how Google will work to provide access to their service beyond a traditional web interface.

I really like Google's news service ( news.google.com ) and the beta of their shopping service ( froogle.google.com ). Google's taking on the Yellow Pages could massively shift the landscape of the Internet again.

Re:Local, eh?

[flyonthewall]

Invented 1964, By Jean Paul Roy, around Drummonville.

Check out http://www.jucep.com/inventeur/english/