As the Google LatLong Blog explains, Google has added a nice feature to Maps (it would seem something rolls out weekly these days). That feature allows users to get directions or locations of businesses without inputting a destination address. Below are some examples.

From Google’s headquarters, how to get to . . . Yahoo Microsoft “Best Indian food“:

“Dry cleaners“:

Of course, these results are only as good as the underlying data, but the functionality is very useful. Google apparently sees it primarily as a short cut to directions to a specific destination. However, it’s also a convenient category search tool supplementing Maps’ “search nearby” feature.

Related Topics: Google: Maps & Local

About The Author: Greg Sterling is a Contributing Editor at Search Engine Land. He writes a personal blog Screenwerk, about SoLoMo issues and connecting the dots between online and offline. He also posts at Internet2Go, which is focused on the mobile Internet. Follow him @gsterling. See more articles by Greg Sterling