Recommendations are powered by your opinions
Every time you rate a place on Google, we get a better understanding of your likes and dislikes: sushi or steak; coffee or tea; a quiet room with a view, or somewhere near the pulse of city nightlife. Once we can discern your tastes, you’ll start to see recommendations in your search results of places chosen specially for you, with explanations of why you might like them. As you rate more places, you’ll see more and better recommendations anywhere you search for local results on Google — at your computer or while on the go with your phone.
Let’s say you like a particular sort of pub with old Victorian architecture, a wood-paneled bar and a good selection of ales. So you rate a couple of pubs from your last crawl, like The Antelope and The Nags Head. Next time you search for pubs, we promote similar places in your results. In this case, we recommend The Grenadier and Horse & Groom.
Recommendations are better with friends
More often than not, you discover new places through conversations with people you know who have similar tastes to yours. When you add them as friends in Google Places, you’ll see their recommendations when you search for places on Google.
Taking a trip? Add friends who’ve lived or traveled in your destination and ask them to rate the places they love so you can take their opinions with you. Together, you can create a personalized, trusted guide to the places you collectively know around the world.
Why a place is right for you
Google shows explanations that tell why a place is recommended for you. These explanations tie back to recommendations from friends, and recommendations based on your personal tastes. For example, if we make a recommendation based on another place you’ve rated, you’ll see an explanation like this later.
Take a look at this video