Google Maps Opts For Search Choices

New ways to filter searching on Google Maps should improve how people find what they need through the service.

A selection of search choices has been added to Google Maps. The Google LatLong blog discussed the capabilities behind a newly added "show search options" link at the service:

Locations – Search only addresses, places of interest or other location names. For example, searching for "storm" will bring you to the city of Storm, Finland.

Businesses – Search only businesses. Searching for "storm" over San Francisco will show you businesses with storm in their name.

User-created content – Search maps created by users in Google or anywhere on the web. Searching for "storm" over San Francisco will show some interesting photos from the stormy week we had in San Francisco last month.

As Google competes with a host of companies for local search business, this addition shows how Google’s properties can help make a searcher into a visitor. That should serve as a nice selling point for Google as it works on pulling in more local clients.