14 DAY TRIAL // This may not exactly be the swan song of Yahoo Search but it's pretty close, as the search team has announced a new local search feature that trumps both Google and Microsoft's implementations. The feature greatly enhances functionality and brings information from different sources together. With the big focus on local content and searches lately, it's easy to understand why this is an important update for Yahoo. But with Microsoft taking over Yahoo Search it's unsure how long this feature will endure.
“Many of you are probably already familiar with the Yahoo! Shortcut that appears at the top of the Yahoo! Search results page when you search for a local business. Starting today, we’re enhancing the Yahoo! Shortcut for local businesses to include links to information you care about most and an overlay that displays content directly on the search results page,” Nitzan Achsaf, senior product manager, Yahoo Search, wrote.
Others are moving in the same direction but this is, so far, the best implementation with all of the information in one place. Searching for a local business will bring up a custom results box with several tools that fill the usual needs, information about the business, the location and directions to it, the opinion of other users about the place and, of course, the address and operating hours.
One of the more interesting features is the social aspect as the result includes a star rating for the business as well the reviews of other Yahoo users so others can have an idea of what to expect. There is also a more general description of the business under the overview tab, powered by Yahoo Local, as well as photo results for the company. Lastly, a map of the location as well as directions to the place are also included.
All this information is available in other locations as well but the best part is that all of the features are included in the search results page with each tab bringing up an overlay with the information. The only downside is that this will soon be replaced with Bing results, though it is possible that the features will be integrated into Bing as well, as there is a technology partnership involved in the deal between the two companies.