The (My) Problem with Googles IP Based Search Results

April 13, 2009 written by Jeremy

So, more and more Google is serving local business results for generic search terms such as Italian Restaurants and using IP location to determine which listings appear. The problem is that your IP is not always located in the same city as your physical location. I am located in Virginia Beach but my IP is based in Chesapeake, VA. So, as I search for a delicious Italian restaurant to have lunch at today (mmm, carbs) I am served a 10 pack of terrific ideas…but they are in Chesapeake!

So now, instead of choosing from one of these mediocre Italian restaurants,

I am all for Google serving localized results, and in most cases I’m sure the results are quite relevant to user’s queries. But for me, and anyone else with an IP located in a different area than their physical location, my desperate search for Monday afternoon “fuel” just got a bit more complicated…oh well. Until Google’s geo targeting gets a bit more sophisticated, I’ll continue to include geo identifiers in my search queries.

The most surprising thing here is that my same search for “Italian Restaurant” in Yahoo gives me a few options only a stones throw from my actual location…Who would ‘a thought!

Has anyone else experienced similar frustrations with Google’s IP based local search results?