{"id":21259,"date":"2017-11-30T17:15:54","date_gmt":"2017-11-30T21:15:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blumenthals.com\/blog\/?p=21259"},"modified":"2017-11-30T21:23:13","modified_gmt":"2017-12-01T01:23:13","slug":"google-assistant-now-recommending-local-services-particularly-their-own","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blumenthals.com\/blog\/2017\/11\/30\/google-assistant-now-recommending-local-services-particularly-their-own\/","title":{"rendered":"Google Assistant Now Recommending Local Services – Particularly Their Own"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today Google has announced<\/a> on their blog that the Google Assistant will now start helping you find local service providers.<\/p>\n

In the U.S., this feature will start rolling out over the coming week, so help is just around the corner. In many cities the Google Assistant will suggest providers that have been prescreened by Google and companies like HomeAdvisor and Porch so you can feel confident they’re ready to take on the job. And if you\u2019re in a city that doesn\u2019t have any available guaranteed or screened providers, you\u2019ll still get an answer from the Assistant with other nearby results.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But as Joy Hawkins<\/a> of Sterling Sky \u00a0pointed<\/a> out on Twitter, the example that Google is showing are not of HomeAdvisor or Porch but of the new Google Local Services ads.<\/p>\n

\nhttp:\/\/blumenthals.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/DP5o511W0AEMtkR.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n

If you wondered how Google was going to monetize Home, this provides a good framework for that with its ability to facet the search into discreet elements and provide a single answer if needed. It mirrors closely the conversation David Mihm and I had on Streetfight at the beginning of the week where we asked How Far Can Google Local Services Expand?<\/a><\/p>\n

Now we know the first baby step.<\/p>\n

According to Google it\u2019ll be available for eight different categories at launch, including:<\/p>\n