Posted: 30 Jan 2014 03:56 AM PST

It’s always fun when Google releases new “answers” like the local Answer Box to see them going wrong. It shows the limits of the current technology and gives some idea how it works.

Leave it to Phil Rozek to find an unusual example of it not working quite right and have it give an answer to questions we never had. What a guy won’t do for a link. You’d think he had studied at the feet of Andrew Shotland.

Sebastien Socha also found this interesting example of a location answer where Google is showing the local carousel rather than the pack on a request for Momofuku locations (location set to New York, NY) when there are multiples.

Whoah.. and this answer box on the search gallery furniture owner (location set to Houston, Tx) while not strictly a local address answer box demonstrates the exactly how far Google will go on this answering thing. Can we ask for just a little privacy please?

Google Adds Dates to Hotel Local Carousel

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 03:32 PM PST

Barry Schwartz reported on SEL this am that Google was now allowing dates of stay to be set directly on the carousel. When updated, Google updates the results for their hotel finder immediately below the ads.

I know that I have covered this topic before but it is striking even on my fairly large display that Google 1) makes only one general search result visible in this display and 2)virtually every link goes back to Google.

Click to view at full size

Google Testing Location Answer Box

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 09:44 AM PST

Pete Meyers of Moz just pointed out an unusual new feature that Google is testing: Location Answer Box. Darren Shaw noted that it was visible via Firefox.

I see it regardless of whether location is set or whether I am logged in, if the query is specific enough to generate a single answer.

IE Dress Barn Locations Amherst gives me the Local Address Answer Box

If however the query returns multiple answers it still delivers a Pack Result: