Google Maps has always been fine – even great – if you’ve known the address, name, or type of place you want to visit.  Now, it’s become much more useful to people who like (or need) to explore areas, as well.

A post on the LatLong Blog states, "We’ve now added icons and labels of prominent businesses and places of interest directly on the map itself."  So if you’re looking at a map of your hometown, you might be able to determine the purpose of those mysterious buildings that never put up signs.

Or, if you’re traveling, a quick glance at Google Maps may tell you what sort of restaurant options an area presents.

What’s more, according to the official post, "Not only can you see where these places are, but you can click the icons to get a summary of what this place is about and explore more by choosing more info to see business info, reviews, photos, Wikipedia articles, and a lot of other local information."

One important note: these new labels aren’t omnipresent within Google Maps, or at least, Google’s definitions of "prominent" and "interest" have left some areas as blank as ever.