July 30th, 2006
Google City Guides? Google SERPs feature tourism refinements
Google “City Guide” type searches are being promoted at Google.com.
Searches by city name at Google.com yield SERPs featuring tourism related search refinement options.
Perhaps Google is considering a Google Tourism vertical or a Google Travel vertical.
Presently, a search on a city such as “Chicago” yields a SERP with a featured link to a Google Map of Chicago and six tourism related “refine results for Chicago” options:
Dining guides
Lodging guides
Attractions
Shopping
Suggested itineraries
Tours & day trips
Clicking on one of the six tourism related search refinement options, such as “Dining guides,” yields a SERP for “Chicago more: dining_guides” and additional refinement options.
The “Chicago more: dining_guides” search results are similar to results from searches such as “Chicago dining guides” or “Chicago restaurants.”
The additional refinement options are categorized by tourism headings under 1) Essentials 2) What to do and 3) Planning.
Additional refinement options include:
Getting around
Nightlife
Presently, the Google tourism related refinement options on city searches provide users with easy, pre-formatted “drill-down” city-related search options.
Google “City Guides” search refinement options may signal a future Google Tourism vertical or a Google Travel vertical.
Google may also be considering AdWords upsells such as:
Dining Guides: Pay-Per-Call–Click-To-Call for restaurant reservations
Lodging Guides: Pay-Per-Call–Click-To-Call for hotel reservations
Attractions: Video advertisement showcasing activity
Shopping: Google Checkout for online purchase
Tours & Day Trips: Pay-Per-Call–Click-To-Call for booking
ALSO SEE: “Google Yellow Pages? Google SERPs map enhanced local directory listings”
“Google.com ‘refinement boxes’: future classifieds ‘complete solution’?”
“Google targets $100 billion Yellow Pages industry?”
