Google search by location - Google Labs  Search by Location FAQ

1. What is Google search by location?
2. How does it work? Is it like Yellow Pages sites I've seen elsewhere?
3. One website seems to show up a lot. And sometimes I see different sites with the same address. Why is that?
4. Ummm, it doesn't seem to be running. More like limping. Should I reboot my computer?
5. Does this work everywhere? Can I find a noodle shop in Nagoya?
6. I asked for Salem and you gave me Shoreham. And that's not right.

1. What is Google search by location?

Sometimes you want to search the whole worldwide web; sometimes you just want to find a pizza place close to home. Google's search by location service helps you focus your search on a specific geographic location.
2. How does it work? Is it like Yellow Pages sites I've seen elsewhere?

Google search by location takes a new approach to helping users find geographic information on the web. We analyze the entire content of a page to extract hints or "signals" that enable us to assign a corresponding physical location, then return results that match the geographic range you specify (e.g., "near Jacksonville, Florida"). This provides a much broader range of businesses in most cases.
3. One website seems to show up a lot. And sometimes I see different sites with the same address. Why is that?

Each search by location result is evaluated as a possible result for your search based on the address information it contains. If a particular site lists multiple addresses, it may show up multiple times. It's also possible that two or more websites contain the same address and both are relevant to your search. In that case you'd see more than one site listed with the same address.
4. Ummm, it doesn't seem to be running. More like limping. Should I reboot my computer?

Search by location is a work in progress. We're introducing it on Google Labs because we want to give you a chance to play with it and tell us what you think is helpful and what's not. We realize that having the service available to test would be a good first step in the direction of utility. Sometimes we have to shut the service down to implement improvements. Sometimes it decides on its own to break for a nice pot of Earl Grey and some fresh silicon wafers. We'll keep it running as much as possible, but please bear with us as we work to make it faster and more reliable.
5. Does this work everywhere? Can I find a noodle shop in Nagoya?

For now, the geographic data we're mapping is limited to the United States. We're hopefult that we'll be able to extend this service worldwide once we have it more consistently delivering satisfactory results.
6. I asked for Salem and you gave me Shoreham. And that's not right.

Thanks for letting us know. You're feedback will help us continue to improve this service. It's got a way to go and your ideas, comments and suggestions will help us get there faster.

Please feel free to send feedback to labs+location@google.com.

There is also a newsgroup where you can talk with other Google search by location users at google.public.labs.location.

www.google.com - All About Google - Labs FAQ
©2008 Google