Next to Larry Page, Sergey Brin, and Eric Schmidt, Marissa Mayer is Google’s best-known exec.  Everyone who wishes to stay current will have to learn to associate a fresh title or two with her, though, as the former vice president of search products and user experience is taking on new responsibilities.

Reports indicate Mayer will now supervise Google’s products and services related to local markets and geolocation.  What’s more, she’s supposed to join Google’s operating committee, which is an elite group of decision makers within the company.

That second detail makes this move look like a big win for Mayer, who was one of Google’s first 20 employees.  The first fact, meanwhile, has some people speculating that the whole thing constitutes a demotion.

This change does mean someone else will begin to oversee Google’s search efforts, after all, and search remains the company’s hallmark.  So it could be that Google’s trying to shake things up in the face of the Bing-Yahoo partnership.

Anyway, Udi Manber, who started at Google in 2006 after working at both Yahoo and Amazon, is the individual who will now direct the company’s search operations, according to Brian Womack.

It should be interesting to see if any new products or services are rolled out in an effort to stir up enthusiasm for these changes.