Canadian version of Google Local launched

October 4, 2004

Google launched its new Canadian version of Google Local earlier this month.

It's a sub-site of the popular Google Canadian search engine (www.google.ca) that lets you search for services and products in your own city.

Having tried it out, I can't say it's going to blow anybody away. It's not new technology. But it works.

Sure, if you're looking for a shop in Regina that sells, say, oatmeal soap, you can just plug some search terms into any search engine and see what pops up.

The problem is, when you do that you get a lot of hits that aren't quite what you're looking for. (Oatmeal soap made by somebody named Regina, for example.)

Google Local filters out the irrelevant links, but perhaps does too good a job. For instance, "Oatmeal soap" gets zero hits, something that's hard to believe.

Surely somebody in town sells the stuff? How does Google Local compare to, for instance, the Web site of Saskatchewan phone book company Direct West?

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For starters, Direct West is very good at what it does. Its search engine ( at www.mysask.com) allows you to quickly find phone numbers if you already know the name of the company. It also lets you find home phone numbers for most people in Saskatchewan.

It also has a neat reverse phone number function. If you plug in "bagel," you can find out where all the Great Canadian Bagel Stores are in town.

However, if bagel isn't in the name, you won't get a number. Google Local, on the other hand, gives you a variety of local bakeries that supposedly sell bagels.

But Google Local isn't perfect, either. In one test, I tried to find where I could find an external hard drive enclosure (a gadget that lets you take a hard drive out of your old computer and use it with your new computer).

Google had some good suggestions, but it also referred me to a local vacuum cleaner shop.

Making it easier to find what you're looking for, Google Local provides high-quality maps.

Overall, considering it's a brand-new service, I'd rate it a solid B. It raises the question of whether there are other Web-based companies that will open up local branches.

For instance, it's surprising that the on-line auction company, eBay, hasn't branched out to individual communities by now.

It's already a household name and the company has an excellent reputation. One could imagine the impact it could have if people auctioned their surplus goods locally through eBay rather than holding the more traditional garage sales. eBay Local is going to happen, sooner or later.

It's a favourite hobby-horse here at Cyberbeat and we'll say it again -- the Internet is great way to connect people to the world but it's even more useful as a local service.

Source: Canada.com

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