LocalGoogle Local Moves To Home Page But Stays In Beta

Google Local Moves To Home Page But Stays In Beta

News from Google that its Google Local service has now moved to the home pages of the US-based Google
site and Google Canada. Previously, the service was only accessible to those who knew to go directly to the Google Local site or who saw
Google Local results inserted into Google through a OneBox display.

Despite the move, the service remains in beta. First launched as a Google Labs project in September 2003, then released as a formal beta in March 2004, Google Local has
been in development for between a year and two and a half years, depending on what start date you go with.

Either way is a long time and adds further fuel to the fire of Google not knowing how to get products out of beta. More telling is the fact that Google previously had
suggested that Google Local would only make it to the home page when the beta process was over. From my
story
about Google losing its tab interface last year:

Google Local Search, rolled out earlier this month, does not appear as a search link on the home page. Google doesn’t believe
the service is yet developed enough for this type of visibility to be given.

“This is a long way from its lab launch, but it’s still a product that’s in beta,” said Marissa Mayer, Google’s director of
consumer web products, when talking with Search Engine Watch editors about the local launch earlier this month. “When we are more comfortable taking it out of beta, I think
then we’d be really look at adding a tab.”

So why does Froogle, also in beta, get home page visibility? That product was launched well over a year ago, and recently
Froogle was upgraded. Apparently, this tipped the scales in its favor.

For more on Google and its growing beta problem, see NYT On Yahoo’s US Gains & Google’s Endless Betas,
More On The Endless Betas Of Google, and if you’re a Search Engine Watch
member, my
Breaking Out Of Google’s Beta Limbo that charts when major Google services were launched
and how they they were (or still are) in beta.

For those keeping score, it’s now 5 of 7 major services on the home page — or 71 percent — remaining in beta. That’s if you’re a Google Desktop user. If you’re not, then
it’s 4 out of 6 major services in beta or 66 percent.

For more on Google Local, see these past articles from Search Engine Watch:

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