Search Engine Journal

Yahoo Maps and ‘Contextualizing’ a Local Search

One of the things I’ve always liked about Yahoo! Maps is the ability to plot a point—say the Hilton Hotel in downtown Atlanta - and then perform category-based local searches in relation to that point. This is the main way I use Yahoo! Maps.

Right now I need to find a place to eat, for example, and these are my options. At the moment, there’s no one else I’m aware of that allows me to do this type of a local search.

I wish this sort of “search within a search” or proximity search were more widely available because it’s the way people actually think about local (”what’s near here”).

Wireless holds the promise of this kind of search but mobile local search still has a long way to go.

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Greg Sterling, Local Search and Convergence Columnist - Greg Sterling is managing editor of The Kelsey Group who also writes the Local Media Journal Blog.