Instagram introduces the Local Search Map, even more visibility for local businesses

If you're familiar with Instagram and have already updated the app, you'll have noticed that in the Explore section, next to the search bar at the top, a map-shaped icon has appeared.

This is Instagram's new feature, launched recently, which geolocates the user and shows the main local businesses nearby on the map: bars, restaurants, pizzerias, points of interest, hotels, parks and gardens.

A sort of feed that highlights the most popular nearby businesses, both on the map and in the list.

Users can easily click on the pins and discover new businesses they didn't know before. Of course, what draws attention to one business over another is the visual — that is, the photos.

Instagram, in fact, doesn't use the business's profile picture as the pin preview, but rather its most popular photos: those with the most comments, likes and interactions from users.

There are two types of pins available: the square one, which links to the business's profile, and the round one, which refers to stories geotagged to a location — a feature that had previously disappeared back in October of last year.

But this feature isn't entirely new — Google Maps, in fact, launched its local feed in the app back in winter 2020, highlighting user posts with photos, reviews and comments about various local businesses, with the option to follow Local Guides and discover new places.

It's clear that the main advantage of these innovations is an increase in the visibility of local businesses and a greater likelihood of discovery thanks to these tools.