Google+ boosts local search with Zagat user reviews

Google is integrating user review site Zagat into a new service ‘Google+ Local’, using online community content to refine local searches.


Google bought Zagat in September for $125m, and its integration means that all of its subscription-only information is now available to everyone registered for Google+ Local.
The new service will utilize Zagat’s “poor-to-perfect” 0-to-30 rating scale and seeks to create “pages for all known places,” including businesses and locations such as Yellowstone National Park.
When a user clicks on the Local tab in Google+ and searches for a restaurant, they will be taken to a Google+ page that shows the business’s Zagat and Google+ friends’ review, photos, it’s address and phone number.
Local has also been integrated into the Google Maps app for Android and will be integrated into the iOS app.
A true user-generated content pioneer, Zagat was formed in 1979 and collects community reviews, which it compiles into a concise summary.
The new Google+ Local service is available as a tab in Google+ and can be integrated into Google search, and the Google Maps mobile app.
“Finding the best places to go is an essential part of our lives, as are the people and resources that help us make those decisions,” wrote Avni Shah, director of Google’s Product Management, in a blog post.
“In fact, the opinions of friends, family or other trusted sources are often the first we seek when looking for the perfect restaurant for date night or the cafe that makes the best latte ever,” Shah added.
Google’s move to integrate Zagat reviews into its social network has been expected since the Internet search firm bought the restaurant ratings publisher.
Marissa Mayer, Google’s vice president of local, maps and location services, said in a blog post at the time that “Zagat will be a cornerstone of our local offering.”
Watch a video explaining how the service works below:

Read the blog post here