Local advertising online is becoming more and more important. With a host of local products in the marketplace having success in attracting users over the past few years, Google isn't about to be left out.
Foursquare is on the move to San Francisco from New York with their expansion. Numerous other location based products, mostly for mobile, are growing.
Geo-location is now the norm for both home and mobile users, and it's a target market that's hot .... very hot.
One sign, an important one, was the job description shift of veteran and highly respected Googler Marissa Mayer to the position of Vice President of Geographic and Local Services recently. Mayer was Google's first female engineer and is largely credited with many of the innovations and growth of Google Search as well as the 'look' of various Google products (and more) in her previous role as Vice President of Search Products and User Experience.
Earlier today, Google announced integration of Google Places with the Enterprise (paid) version of Google apps.
Google Places needs current information and users to be relevant.
In an increasingly connected mobile society and with businesses both opening and closing, user input is imperative in keeping Google Places a viable, relevant and growing product.
Introducing Google Places to the existing Google Enterprise audience, a place where you can list your local business for free (and/or multiple locations, etc.) is a solid step in that direction.
Keeping it current may prove to be difficult as has been demonstrated recently as questions begin to crop up about occasional glitches with the main Google indexes and pure algorithmic search. Google responded directly to the issue raised last month by the NY Times on the (main) Official Google Blog. (Google's webspam team, no doubt, with have their hands full in the coming years).
In the meantime, one step at a time, Google continues to do everything they can to keep you searching ...
.. and to use Google to do it.
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