Google?s acquisition of publisher Zagat may mean search results for restaurants and other local business featuring ratings and reviews, similar to what Yelp offers.

Google acquired customer ratings and reviews publisher Zagat this week with plans to make it a cornerstone of its local offering. The search giant said it will look to bring the power of Google search and Google Maps to Zagat?s products while also bringing Zagat?s well-known customer ratings and reviews to Google users.

?This could potentially allow Google to do something like Yelp, with a location-based app that has user-generated content,? said David Eads, vice president of product marketing at Kony Solutions, Orlando, FL.

?Yelp users bypass Google for restaurant reviews and ratings and Google wants to be where people go first to search,? he said.

?It is more evidence that local, search and mobility are the future.?

The power of convergence
Zagat was founded by Tim and Nina Zagat more than 32 years ago. Best known for restaurant guides that compile recommendations from customers, the publisher also offers reviews for a variety of categories, including where to stay, shop and play for more than 100 cities.

The brand has also built a mobile presence more recently, including a mobile site and mobile applications.

?Their iconic pocket-sized guides with paragraphs summarizing and ?snippeting? sentiment were ?mobile? before ?mobile? involved electronics,? said Marissa Mayer, vice president of local, maps and location services for Google in a post on the company?s corporate blog.

The deal points to not only the growing importance of user-generated content and location-based services but also the interest in packaging these together in mobile services that can be used on the go. 

Yelp?s mobile app is one example of a service that is experiencing success from packaging user-generated content, location and mobile together.

?Yelp is a great example of the convergence of mobile, local, user-generated content and social media,? Mr. Eads said.

?The future is to figure out how to create an app that has all of these elements because that becomes very compelling for customers and allows for effective calls to action,? he said.

?This allows Google to develop something along those lines.?

The deal makes sense for Google, which has been looking to build out its mobile offerings. The company recently introduced a daily deals service Google Offers as well as a mobile payments solution Google Wallet.

?It makes a lot of sense for Google in terms of the continuation of their mobile strategy,? said John Orlando, executive vice president of worldwide marketing and business development for Sixth Sense Media, Durham, NC.

?This allows users to not only see things around them but to also see user reviews and ratings ? it enhances the experience,? he said.

?This is a massive validation for location in mobile, but it will be interesting to see how it unfolds with regard to persistent location-based marketing.?