All Google Search results are now based on location by default, the search giant announced on Friday, October 27. In a quest to make searches 'more local and relevant', the California-based company has replaced country code top-level domain (ccTLD) with the location as the basis to provide search results.
Google product manager Evelyn Kao has written a blog post announcing the said update, stressing the new method it uses in offering search results on iOS phones and desktop as well as Google Maps. Searching on Google using a specific ccTLD, that is Google.com.sg for example, in India will no longer indicate results based on the country service but according to the user's location.
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Kao has emphasised Google's goal to "provide the most useful results" for a user's inquiry, adding that one in five searches taking place in the engine is relevant to the location.
"This update will help ensure that you get the most relevant results based on your location and is consistent with how Google already manages our services across a number of our other platforms, including YouTube, Blogger, Google Earth and Gmail, among others."
However, if a user wishes to get relevant search results in a particular country while being in a different location, then the user can manually change the location settings. Country service will be displayed at the bottom of the search results page.
Kao has noted that this update will only modify the way Google Search and Maps services are labeled, adding that "it will not affect the way these products work, nor will it change how we handle obligations under national law."
With this new Google Search and Maps update, the company is expecting that all users' experience with the services will be much improved.
