Google Buys Zagat
By Gilbert Falso :: 11:44 PM
Google has announced its acquisition of high-end restaurant and shopping reviews publisher Zagat, in an effort to build out its local business content.
The deal, announced in a blog post earlier today, will be a cornerstone of Google’s local offering, claimed Marissa Mayer, Google Vice President for local search, maps and location services. The Zagat deal comes two years after Google attempted to buy Yelp for a reported $500 million. That deal crumbled however, due to various reported reasons.
From Google’s Mayer:
“Zagat provides people with a democratized, authentic and comprehensive view of where to eat, drink, stay, shop and play worldwide based on millions of reviews and ratings,” adding, “For all of these reasons, I’m incredibly excited to collaborate with Zagat to bring the power of Google search and Google Maps to their products and users, and to bring their innovation, trusted reputation and wealth of experience to our users.”