Google Adds Local Rich Snippets Supports

Carter Maslan, director of product management for Google's Local Search team explains more:

Today, we're announcing that your use of Rich Snippets can help people find the web pages you've created that may reference a specific place or location. By using structured HTML formats to markup the business or organization described on your page, you make it easier for search engines like Google to properly classify your site, recognize and understand its content about a particular place.

Whether you're creating a website for your own business, an article on a newly opened restaurant, or a guide to the best places in town, your precise markup helps associate your site with the search results for that particular place.

Here's how this new format will help:

1. Use structured markup to help Google surface your site in local searches. If your site contains reviews or other information about businesses and organizations, then the structured markup helps specifically in linking your pages with the place mentioned.


2. Tell Google about your content so that Google knows who you are and what content you have to offer if additional opportunities arise.

Introduced in 2009 Google Rich Snippets had been visible in universal SERPs for some time, but with restricted use. Google soon realized its potential and started gradually extending its use across Google's all search markets.

Click here for more information on rich snippets as they apply to local search.