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Google Removes Links to Competing Map Systems  (View post)

LR [PersonRank 1]

Tuesday, January 16, 2007
17 years ago7,897 views

Is there a way to get back the links to Mapquest and Yahoo Maps?

I used Google as a shortcut to get to a choice of maps from all three.

Google bring this feature back!!!!

TOMHTML [PersonRank 10]

17 years ago #

But on other Google domains (e.g. Google.fr, Google.es), the links to the local competitors of Google Maps are still here.

Nicolas [PersonRank 0]

17 years ago #

Fun fact: look for Berlin in google.com, and you get a big fat image of a band called like this, but not map. However, look for it in google.de, and you get a map (from google and competitors, BTW).

Ratatosk [PersonRank 1]

17 years ago #

I think this is fair enough.... they displayed competing links for a long time, so that was more than good. And now, there is nothing bad about just integrating your product

Tim [PersonRank 0]

17 years ago #

Slippery slope, Ratatosk. You could say the same thing about Windows and Internet explorer, could you not?

user [PersonRank 1]

17 years ago #

except Windows and IE deal has already been spoken for in the courts....

Haochi [PersonRank 10]

17 years ago #

http://img329.imageshack.us/img329/3623/mapstl9.gif
It looks a little different now.

Philipp Lenssen [PersonRank 10]

17 years ago #

That's a second variant, maybe it's triggered by longer addresses or something?

Ionut Alex. Chitu [PersonRank 10]

17 years ago #

Check these:

http://www.google.com/search?q=new+york+map&btnG=Search [new york map]

http://www.google.com/search?q=ny+map&btnG=Search [ny map]

Haochi [PersonRank 10]

17 years ago #

On the Google Search Feature page, it still says,
".... we'll return links from Google Maps and *other high quality map providers* that will lead you directly to the relevant map."
http://google.com/help/features.html#maps

Zoo [PersonRank 1]

17 years ago #

Google Maps algo is the worst stupid algo ever. Anyone who used Google maps in the country side would know what I am talking about.

Surly Teabag [PersonRank 2]

17 years ago #

This feels to me a little more like experimenting with the user interface than Microsoft-style locking out competitors. As some of the posts in this thread point out, Google is sometimes returning mini-maps or forms for directions.

But even though I probably never clicked on the MapQuest or Yahoo Maps links (I would have preferred a link to MapBlast Line Drive results), it still makes me a little uneasy.

tvnl [PersonRank 1]

17 years ago #

Experimenting? Yes but not on the interface but with the user – seeing how far they can push it without an outcry. Microsoft was able to lock out the internet partially because a "community" like the Internet did not really exist – which makes me think that Google won't get away with it in the same way. But the benefit of doubt being given is scary.

tvnl [PersonRank 1]

17 years ago #

that said, all vendors do the same thing – promote only their own map service

Mysterius [PersonRank 10]

17 years ago #

I suppose Google got tired of promoting competing services, when other services failed to return the favor. (Yahoo, I'm looking at you, specifically your results for "Google"...)

Still, I hope that Google will add the links to competitors back. I've never used them, but they're a nice touch, and others still might find them useful.

Tristan [PersonRank 0]

17 years ago #

This is very shortsighted decision. First of all, what have Google from promoting it's own products? NOTHING! They are for free. Google maps has no significant effect on earings – people use Google mainly because of search.

But there are surely plenty of people who like to search on Google but think Yahoo maps are better. Till today they all need not to go to Yahoo, they just do all search on Google, but from today? All people prefering Yahoo maps WON'T GO to Google to search for location. Now that's what I call complete lost.

If I was in charge in Google I would be happy my competitors won't link to me, because they don't get it. For Google would be dangerous if Yahoo suddenly started with strategy like posting links "send with Gmail", cause people using Gmail could start reconsidering to switch to Yahoo searching...

Pramit [PersonRank 1]

17 years ago #

What will it take to challenge Google?>

Content or Index?
http://mediavidea.blogspot.com/2007/01/what-do-you-need-to-do-to-compete-with.html

Ionut Alex. Chitu [PersonRank 10]

17 years ago #

I don't remember who said it, but I think this is the right answer:
Google provides links to 3rd parties in OneBox results if they don't have a service for that or if their service is not good enough. When their service becomes mature, there's no need for the other links.

Why don't you ask:
why there's no link to Yahoo Search, Windows Live?
why there's no link to other news search sites in the Google News box?
etc.

Google didn't do a favor for Yahoo Maps or MapQuest, it did a favor for the users.

Tony Ruscoe [PersonRank 10]

17 years ago #

Google used to track those links using a redirect. I wonder what the stats showed.

Did users click Google Maps more than Yahoo Maps and MapQuest, making Google remove them so their own services would get more visits – or did Google Maps get the most clicks, thus making the other links kinda redundant?

John Wren [PersonRank 0]

17 years ago #

The best way to navigate maps and the internet as a whole is to use a service which specializes in giving the user choice.

Try www.yumgo.com to see what I mean. You get all the best search engines on one page. For years we have said this would be the future.

Looking for maps?? Click on the multimap button, looking for jobs??? click on the totaljobs button.

It really is that simple.

I think you all should switch to yumgo.com

Adrasteia [PersonRank 0]

17 years ago #

I think you work or yumgo.com. I tried it for a couple off seconds, the interface is terrible.

Ionut Alex. Chitu [PersonRank 10]

17 years ago #

<<Did users click Google Maps more than Yahoo Maps and MapQuest?>>

Of course. It was the default link and the first link (Google Maps, Yahoo Maps, Mapquest).

Philipp Lenssen [PersonRank 10]

17 years ago #

When will the links to competing finance sites go?

http://blogoscoped.com/files/competing-finance-sites.png

Ionut Alex. Chitu [PersonRank 10]

17 years ago #

when Google Finance will be good enough.

note that GFinance itself shows links to other services (like SeekingAlpha transcripts).

Ionut Alex. Chitu [PersonRank 10]

17 years ago #

<<
A method stub or simply stub in software development is a piece of code used to stand in for some other programming functionality. A stub may simulate the behavior of existing code (such as a procedure on a remote machine) or be a temporary substitute for yet-to-be-developed code.
>>

Darren [PersonRank 0]

17 years ago #

I tried yumgo.com and its excellent!

I now use it all the time as my homepage and search engine for maps and other stuff.

Thanks yumgo.com

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