Google recently added a feature to Google Maps to anchor local listings at the bottom of the map interface. When you search for a business, you can click on the “anchor at the bottom” button. This will trigger Google Maps to move that local listing to the map interface footer so that searchers can reopen the location later.

What did he look like. Here’s a screenshot of this feature, which I saw last week for some of my local map requests:

Use case. Researchers can use it to anchor many places at the bottom of the page so they can organize a trip. It can also be used when you are looking for a local business and you are interested in several options, you can anchor the ones you like and dig in which you prefer to go. If you’re a foodie, you can dock a bunch of restaurants to check out later. There are many use cases.

Why we care This is another feature of Google Maps that helps searchers browse local listings and save them for later. It’s unclear if this feature will stick around (no pun intended) and last long, or if the feature will go away at some point. It seems like a useful maps feature and I like it.

About the Author

Barry Schwartz, Search Engine Land Contributing Editor and member of the SMX Events Programming Team. He owns RustyBrick, a New York-based web consulting company. He also runs Search Engine Roundtable, a popular research blog on very advanced SEM topics. Barry’s personal blog is called Cartoon Barry and he can be followed on Twitter here.