Google Gets Local in Canada

Google Gets Local in Canada: "Google Gets Local in Canada" Launch the integration of local search results into Google.ca
Sukhinder Singh, general manager of Google Local.

"Keyword-based search brings you results from both the Web and structured data sources that may be more precise than results you'd be able to get from category-based search of only yellow page data," she said. "Something you wouldn't think of as a category-based search, but a keyword-based search, showcases the unique data set we've been able to bring together."

So a user searching for a coffee shop with wi-fi access would be able to find it with Google Local Canada, while they may not be able to do so with regular Web searches, Singh said. Clicking on a link in local search results brings the user to a detail page with driving directions, map information, and related Web pages.

A local search can also be triggered by using Canada-specific geographical keywords or locations in a search on Google.ca or Google.com. When a user types in a search query along with a postal code or name of a Canadian town, city or province on Google.com, the top results points to Google Local Canada, and are marked by a small compass icon linking users to a Google Local Canada search results page.