In a blog post on Google+, the search giant announced that Google Search carousel will now be available for desktop users in the US.

The Search carousel feature was introduced in the Google Search app for iPads and other tablets last December, and features a horizontal grid that displays businesses close to your location such as restaurants, bars, salons, or spas.  By typing in a search query, such as “Japanese restaurants,” Google will bring up the carousel that contains images of local businesses close to you.  Clicking on the name or image of the result will reveal further details about the business such as its address, relevant photos and an aggregated review score.

Google also states that you can “zoom in on the map that appears below the carousel to restrict your search to only places in a specific area.”

Work under the hood

In order for Google to recommend establishments near a person’s location, the search giant had to tinker with its API and whatnots to deliver the best results.

In March, local reviews was integrated into G+.  It paved the way for G+ users to rate places and have their reviews available for others to see.  This feature was soon incorporated into the G+ Android app which makes it easier for people to recommend, rate, search local places, while on the go.

Google also updated its Google Places API to feature Zagat restaurant reviews which includes “curated expert reviews and ratings” based on user feedback.

This move by Google may be seen as another intrusion to people’s lives as it needs your current location to be able to recommend places, but at least those businesses which get a prime spot on Google’s carousel will be happy about it.