Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Marissa Mayer, 35, will be the youngest member of Google’s operating committee of top decision-makers.Marissa Mayer, who has been Google’s vice president of search products and user experience, has a new job — overseeing geographic and local services, the company announced Tuesday.
She was also named to Google’s operating committee of top decision-makers, said a person briefed on Google’s plans.
The change is a promotion for Ms. Mayer. The operating committee, which Google previously called the executive management group, includes about a dozen top executives. Ms. Mayer, 35, will be the youngest member.
Her new day job is also the clearest indication yet that Google plans to take the local business market very seriously. Ms. Mayer, the company’s 20th employee and first female engineer, is one of Google’s most well-known executives, known for her technical prowess, meticulous attention to detail, and love of clothes and cupcakes.
“They basically took one of our strongest generals and put her on the front lines of another important front,” said the person briefed on Google’s decision. “Frankly, in part it’s because things in search are stable and in flux in local.”
Though Web companies have been trying to get local businesses to take a greater online presence for more than a decade, start-ups like Groupon and Yelp and the growth of smartphones have recently sped that along.
Local businesses are expected to spend $35.2 billion on online advertising in 2014, up from $19.6 billion this year, according to BIA/Kelsey, a local media consulting firm.
Google, which came close to acquiring Yelp this year, has been beefing up its local business listings. On Google Places, Google offers local business information and reviews from sites like OpenTable and Zagat. Local businesses can update their listings with information like videos and coupons and can pay for their listings to stand out on Google and Google Maps.
When Sergey Brin, Google’s co-founder, was recently asked about Google’s local business listings and reviews, he said, “Stay tuned for improvements in this area.”
Google is working on figuring out how to take on the Yellow Pages business in a new way, answering people’s questions before they ask them, said the person briefed on Google’s plans. For example, if Google knows what type of sushi you like and a Japanese restaurant nearby has a canceled reservation, Google could alert you on your cellphone.
Udi Manber, a vice president for engineering overseeing the behind-the-scenes aspects of search, will also take on Ms. Mayer’s former role overseeing the user experience for search.
The news of Ms. Mayer’s appointment to the operating committee was first reported by Business Insider, and news of her role overseeing local services was first reported by Bloomberg.