Google Buys Zagat

This marks yet another advancement in Google’s conquest for world domination. Okay that might be a bit dramatic, but it does seem like Google has been acquiring companies left and right these days. It was only a few short weeks ago that the search engine giant had announced its purchase of Motorola Mobility. Now it seems that Google has the renown restaurant review company Zagat to add to their list of acquired properties.

The company first wrote of its latest acquisition in its official blog on Thursday, 9/08/11 and the internet has been buzzing about the deal since. The post did not specifically disclose how much Zagat was purchased for, however there is speculation that suggests the price tag to be over $100 million, making it one of Google’s priciest purchases yet.

The Zagat Rating implements a standardized rating system that reviewers use to critique various restaurants and travel destinations. Their aggregate input would then amount to a specific numerical value (from 1 to 30, with 30 being the best quality) that represented an overall evaluation of what the particular place had to offer guests. Their reviews are then compiled into travel-sized books that can be purchased to aid tourists visiting unfamiliar areas.

Google has tried its hand in appealing to the local market with services like Google Offers and check-in deals with Google Latitude and was met with moderate success. The company had failed earlier this year to acquire the local coupon website Groupon earlier this year and the purchase of Zagat could be a game changer as the Zagat name is well-known in the food and travel industry.