Eat this! Yahoo Yelps for help in the battle to reel in Google search

Eat this! Yahoo Yelps for help in the never-ending battle to reel-in Google search
Yahoo's Yelp listings will include high quality photos

Yahoo has officially announced the integration of Yelp ratings and recommendations into its search results as it seeks to narrow the ever-present chasm between itself and Google.

In a blog post, the company said desktop and mobile searches will now feature user reviews, business listings and star-ratings from the popular location-based portal.

The web giant, who's search results are still powered by Bing, said those listings are also accompanied by a selection of high quality photos sourced from Yelp.

The integration, which was first rumoured last month, will go a long way to boosting Yahoo's most recent efforts to improve its Local Search and Maps functionality

All about context

The news comes amid persistent rumours that Yahoo is looking to once again build its own search engine and end its reliance on Microsoft.

Reports earlier this year suggested CEO Marissa Mayer 'hates' the partnership with Bing, which still has around 5 years to run, and wants out of the arrangement ASAP.

At a recent conference, Mayer hinted Yahoo's future search efforts would be focused on local and contextual search.

She said: "When I look at things like contextual search, I get really excited. The amount of information available to build a service on, it's just incredible."

Chris Smith

A technology journalist, writer and videographer of many magazines and websites including T3, Gadget Magazine and TechRadar.com. He specializes in applications for smartphones, tablets and handheld devices, with bylines also at The Guardian, WIRED, Trusted Reviews and Wareable. Chris is also the podcast host for The Liverpool Way. As well as tech and football, Chris is a pop-punk fan and enjoys the art of wrasslin'.