Google have announced that they are now offering Google Property search to the UK market. This is something that has been proposed for some time and it has been possible to upload property data for some time it just wasn’t visible to users of Google

This development will enable websites offering properties to rent or for sale to promote their property listings in Google Maps as well as their website using the standard Google listings. This is another tool property sites can use to help the SEO of their website.

Users will be able to search properties using a number of refinements including location, number of bedrooms and bathrooms and price as well as if the property is to rent or let. As this is functionality added to Google Maps there are also options to look at the map data using the standard map view, photos or the satellite view.

To add property listings to Google Property search you need to create a data feed similar to the one you will use in a Google shopping feed in the Google Merchant Centre (formerly Google Base). This feed can be either a static comma separated text file or a RSS/XML feed of the properties on your site. For property listings I’d suggest using the RSS or XML feed method would be better and requesting Google to call the data regularly as properties listed on your site will be updated daily. Information about how to create these feeds can be found on the Google Support site for Google Merchant Centre.

If you run a property site then this new functionality is an excellent development for the promotion of your website in Google and if you get your feed right, can help the overall visibility and SEO of your website.