AOL Launches Local Search
AOL Search today launched Local Search with local information available to help searchers find answers where they live, work and travel throughout the country.

So what features do you get? Here's an extract from the release:

New features and functionality of AOL Local Search include:

** Personalized, streamlined design with one-click sorting and clustering to help users quickly find exactly what they are looking for. Users can choose an enhanced view or scan view and refine results by type, such as business, movie or event, as well as distance away, and rating. Users can also view maps, photos, descriptions, and event schedules directly within the search results, see recent searches for quick reference, and save multiple zip code locations to automatically see results customized to specific geographic areas.

** Complete, up-to-date listings and information for more than 13 million businesses and points of interest from the AOL Yellow Pages, as well as restaurants, bars, music and events - including the newest hotspots - in more than 300 cities across the country from AOL CityGuide, the Web's #1 local entertainment guide for where to go and what to do in cities where people live, work and visit. Also, movie listings covering all new releases for 31,000 screens nationwide from the Moviefone service. For easy planning, AOL Local Search automatically displays the next movie showtimes from the three theaters nearest to the user on the results page, full schedules of all nearby showings for the next three days, and convenient ticket purchasing on Moviefone.com. Built-in maps and driving directions from the MapQuest service appear alongside search results, with customized features to see all nearby results on one map and view closest subway stations. Additionally, AOL Local Search will include the most accurate and up-to-date location information through AOL's new MapQuest Partner Data Program that enables MapQuest's Business Solutions clients to have their information regularly updated in the AOL database.

** Ratings and reviews to help make decisions based on others' recommendations and word-of-mouth referrals. These include editorial reviews and annual "City's Best" rankings for thousands of local dining, nightlife, and entertainment options from AOL CityGuide; as well as consumer ratings that allow people to see what others in their community think are the best experts, restaurants, hotels, contractors, events, movie theaters and more, with a one-click way to add their own rating and personal review. In addition, "Hot Searches" highlight the most searched-for restaurant and entertainment venues.

** Built-in shopping and transaction services, including "what's on sale," with weekly specials on apparel, consumer electronics, home improvement products, food and more offered by local retailers from ShopLocal.com; opportunities to make restaurant reservations online through OpenTable; the ability to purchase $25 dining certificates for only $10 from Restaurant.com; as well as integrated ticket purchasing for events and concerts through AOL Tickets, which partners with the six top primary and secondary ticketing services.

AOL Local Search will also offer the future ability to find local news for communities and neighborhoods in every zip code nationwide through Topix.net.

All this, without a "beta" tag in sight! ;-)
Andy Beal | permalink | +marktd |