Search giant Google is currently testing a new feature for the search engine. The feature enables users to access home services easily, with Google finding the right people for the job. Sometimes, home fixes need to be done immediately. Now, Google shows that it aims to provide its users with this convenience with just one click.
According to The Regal Tribune, the new feature is available only to Google users in the San Francisco area. The search feature sees Google competing with online home services such as TaskRabbit, Yelp Inc. and most recently, Amazon, which launched a similar feature this March. The feature indicates ratings for specific services, like plumbing and electrical wiring.
This also provides such home services an avenue to promote themselves. Potential customers of the services will be able to see in-depth reviews of the services, allowing them to find a perfect match for what they are looking for in, for example, a plumber or an electrician. They will also be able to contact the services with the feature. Ads from servicemen such as locksmiths, home cleaners and repairmen also appear in the new feature.
The ads have been screened by the search company and have been qualified by Google. The ads appear in a box on top of the search results. This ensures that the services are of quality and are legitimate, so users need not fear scam advertisements. The feature is part of AdWords Express, the search company's ad service for local businesses.
Those who want to avail the ad service will have to pay Google a fee. Their ads will then appear on schedule in the search engine's sponsored results. The submitters will also be selected after being subjected to thorough background, license and insurance checks, which will ensure that the businesses can be trusted by users and possible clients.
How Google will perform alongside some already-established home service providers online. Still, the feature has just begun testing. More developments may still be added to it in the coming weeks and months. Once it officially rolls out, that's when the challenge begins for Google.
