Location, Location, Location
It’s conventional wisdom that Google figured out that Search was the Internet’s killer app.
But I think Google’s smarter than that. I think Google’s figured out that the true killer app is, “location, location, location.”
In “search,” clearly “location” is a critical component. That’s why SEO is a thriving business. It’s all about getting on that first page of results, either organically or through AdWord campaigns.
But Google has been taking the location concept further recently.
Look at “mobile” – the mobile version of Google Maps offers functions such as Real-Time Traffic (based on your location), business listings (based on your location), satellite imagery (based on your location), etc.
Look at “realty” – this Real Estate Search blew me away when I first noticed it (screenshot above). Type something like “boulder, co. real estate” into Google and you get an interactive map of the top listings (i.e., by location), which you can sort by distance (a.k.a. location), price, square footage, # of bathrooms, etc. Luckily for Realtors, the links drive traffic to their sites.
You can do the same thing with any business of course, from a search for Starbucks stores in SF to a search for Burger King outlets in Boston. Why go to the Starbucks.com store locator if Google does all the work for you, including step-by-step directions on how to get to the nearest caffeine fuel-stop, based on your current location?
Old: “Wherever you go, there you are.”
New: “Wherever you go, go with GOOG.”
What other industries are so dependent on “location” that they’ll soon be devoured by the Googleplex?
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