You can say a lot about Google, but make no mistake that they are hard at work every day trying to come up with ways to make their service better. The little search engine that could has come a long way, and now dominates life on the internet. Their continual dedication to personalizing services, and adding new functions to cater to people’s specific desires has taken another step forward. Google has officially made improvements to the Explore function of their map feature. This will allow users to get a much deeper understanding of the local area.
What is the update?
In short, the update is that Google has added more features to the already useful “Explore” function in Google Maps. It is currently only available for markets in the US and UK( London, NYC, and San Francisco), but is sure to expand once it becomes popular and polished. The update will now give you curated recommendations about nearby dining options, which is one of the most popular uses of local mobile search at this time.
How is it helpful?
You can now see in-depth details about a location once you have picked the category that you are currently hankering for. This will allow you to see things like:
- Family friendly
- Quick service
- Outdoor seating
- Smoking or non
- Photos
Among others. You will also be able to check out ratings and reviews. The real icing on the cake is that it will show you why this place is relevant, and give you nearby recommendations based on other diner’s experiences. Isn’t it amazing how our collective experience is starting to come together in an attempt to improve individual experiences in a certain place? Amazing stuff. Google is especially trying to cater to mobile users that query for words like nearby and near me.
How to adapt?
This doesn’t mean that you should really start doing anything different than what you should already be doing. For example, offering awesome food and encouraging people to tell others about it. Not only that, but you should have as much information available about yourself on the web as possible. Anything that might be relevant. It might only be in select locales right now, but be sure that it will expand soon. It could be very helpful to begin keeping content on your web page about why your restaurant is unique, or why it caters to a certain audience. If someone searches for “quaint vegan food near me” it will always be helpful to have something they can see that says “we are out to take the dining experience of vegans everywhere to the next level” or something to that tune. Personalization is the way of the future.
Another day, another great update rolling out from Silicon Valley. Be sure to stay tuned because you never know what they are going to do next. The Explore function in Google Maps used to be a bit hidden, now it is coming out of the darkness and is more in-depth and informative than ever. It will really help consumers in select areas to have a better dining experience. Expect it to expand into new markets, and different services soon, and make sure to do what you can to increase your visibility.
