Metrobot Expands Mobile Local Search Service
Metrobot, a map based, mobile oriented local search engine and city guide, has expanded coverage nationwide to all 50 states (they previously only offered services for 11 cities). Metrobot uses a mapping concept which depicts businesses that occur on either side of individual road segments, which according to CEO Geoff Campbell, displays contextual information not available from any other online mapping source.
Geoff Campbell tells the Search Engine Journal “typical online maps allow a user to zoom in on an area and see the local streets, but these maps are geared for the automobile, rather than the more human scale at the sidewalk. Metrobot maps start where these other maps leave off, providing additional information including businesses listings and business web page links for each road segment. It’s like adding another level of zoom to the map.”
The roads in a Metrobot map are displayed in a straightened and aligned manner. Users can traverse the complete road network of an individual city by clicking on intersecting road links. Someone planning a trip to a specific location can easily see the businesses that are located nearby the destination.
Businesses which are not yet included in Metrobot can submit their listing information free of charge. Metrobot offers expanded listings, which are available in the form of a four line text advertisement for a fee of $40 per year. These ads appear at the top of search result pages and within the Metrobot street maps, resulting in street level focused advertising.
