Google Local Becomes 'Maps' Again

Google early Friday announced it was responding to customer feedback and bringing back the Google Maps brand, which has been merged into a unified Google Local site last October. The company said it was trying to emphasize the wide range of local features the service offered, but most users continued to identify the site as Google Maps.

"Does this mean that local search is no longer important to Google? Absolutely not! Google Maps continues to have the killer combination of maps, driving directions, and local business search. And local search has become a fundamental part of the Google search experience," says product manager Thai Tran. A "Maps" link has replaced "Local" on the Google homepage.