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

Local, eh?

[Anonymous Coward]

Finally I'll be able to find nearby places to buy igloos and poutine!

Re:Local, eh?

[djtripp]

Living in Inuvik, eh?

Re:Local, eh?

[networkBoy]

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

Re:Local, eh?

[Red Alastor]

Easy question. You rarely find igloos nowadays except maybe in Quebec's carnival (in Quebec city). You can find poutine in almost any place that sells food in Quebec.

Re:Local, eh?

[k_stamour]

I do not think it is legal to serve poutine with in the states with out an automatic defibrillator....."mmm not bad... CLEAR!!!!! "

finally

[Coneasfast]

i can now find a porn distributor in MY area, not halfway across the country.

This is scary

[superpulpsicle]

Google is taking over the world faster than M$ nowadays.

Re:This is scary

[chamblah]

M$

Re:This is scary

[cmallinson]

Google is taking over the world faster than M$ nowadays.

Since when is "offering fantastic free services without intrusive advertising" taking over the world? I've already used this service many times in the past few days. In addition to the local searches, the maps provided are some of the best available.

Turing test

[BillsPetMonkey]

Proponents of the idea that google + "I'm Feeling Lucky" button could be a good contender in the Turing Test have been dismissed with "What if you ask google where your local chip shop is?"

So it's scary and amazing that it could actually have an answer to that question.

Decent exposure

[Aiofe]

Small businesses are going to love that - it will almost certainly mean more exposure.

It will also be a valuable resource for going on a holiday - I can find a good coffee shop before I leave home, from the comfort of my PC, instead of struggling with local directories.

This rocks

[MirgNave]

I can't wait for this type of thing to become popular. The web has revolutionized information on the global scale, no doubt. But finding information on the local scale often continues to be only slightly better than what you could get by picking up a phone book. I hope that someone (google or not) can come up with a solution to this.

Doesn't work

[Anonymous Coward]

I looked up "plumber" in "windsor, on", of which I know there are about a dozen or more in the yellow pages, and the only ones that show up are across the border in Detroit. I'm sorry but I can't hire a U.S. plumber to work in Windsor - they would need a permit.

Re: Stupid submission - obligatory response

[charleste]

Yes we are. And you're going to like it. We welcome our new Google masters...

Re:Stupid submission.

[Red Alastor]

No, we are going to post an article every time a "US only" Google service will start to expand.

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.

Re:Well?

[Mateito]

Try:

http://google.ca.eh

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

I can see it now...

[AndyMouse GoHard]

"eh" is a very common word and was not included in your search.

Bill

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

Make sure to speak "Canadian"

[fR0993R-on-Atari-520]

I searched for "bars" in Toronto, ON. Half the results were ice-cream shops. Searching for "pubs" produced the results I was looking for.

Course, the best way to find places in Toronto is either word-of-mouth or NOW magazine anyhoo.

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.

it's pretty incomplete yet

[nazsco]

can't find simple things

FAQ

[aggiefalcon01]

The Google Local FAQ doesn't mention Canada, but it does give this humorous bit:

5. Does this work everywhere? Can I find a noodle shop in Nagoya?

Google Local only searches for locations in the United States right now. However, we plan on expanding this service to other parts of the world once we work out the kinks in this beta product. In the meantime, we recommend Miyoshiya for noodles in Naka-ku, near downtown.