At some point or another in your life, you’ve probably wanted to go out and do something, anything. Depending on when this happened, you probably got a vague idea of what you wanted to do by taking to Google to search out a decent spot. This probably involved some measure of research, and took a bit of time. These days, wandering the streets of a city with boredom in your brain and a smartphone in your hand can usually net you a good time, but what if it could net you the best time, the best food, the best cocktail, or the best dancing spot in the area? That’s what Google is aiming for with today’s announcement that local reviews and best-of listings from reputable sources will be mixed in with your local search results.
Searching for a specific type of bar, restaurant or certain other landmark will trigger the new search features. Listings that have reviews available will have them front and center, and some places will also show how long people tend to linger there. If a location in your search results has found its way into a best-of list on the web, that will be featured as well. All of these tools together mean that finding the best piña colada around or finding a place to relax for 15 minutes will be that much easier and quicker.
For now, the new options mostly extend to bars and restaurants, but more spots will certainly come in the near future. The list of publications that the best-of listing data is parsed from include a very wide range of publishers, like Eater and CBS. The list of review providers is equally detailed, though it may not include smaller names. Obviously, user reviews that can be left on a Google listing for a business are still accessible, in case a place lacks professional reviews or those reviews aren’t as detailed as a user may like. Whether you want to explore your city or happen to be downtown with an hour or two on your hands, Google’s new additions to local search results should help you make the most of your day or night out.