Google has acquired Frommer's, which could make Google+ Local an even more attractive part of local marketing efforts.

Earlier this year, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., announced it would sell travel guide Frommer’s, and the highest bidder appears to be Google. The move marks the second acquisition of a popular travel publication for Google in the last year. After buying Zagat last summer, Google integrated data from the site to make Google+ Local, and Frommer’s purchase could make the local search and social platform even more informative for users.

Since launching Google+ Local in May, Google+ as a whole has seen marginal increases in traffic. Still, the social network has not achieved the massive upswing in traffic it has attempted to develop since launching more than one year ago.

With Frommer’s, Google has access to relevant reviews and data related to countless businesses and organizations throughout the world. While no major announcements have been made by Google, social media marketing campaigns using Google+ could see even more relevant data included on its Local service.

Frommer’s also publishes travel guides and hosts mobile apps, presenting Google with the interesting decision of whether or not to continue these services.

Google+ has received an increase in users in 2012, but traffic remains relatively unchanged. Brafton recently highlighted a series of new features added for Google+, both on the platform and with regard to integration with search. Among the adjustments was an “Actively discussed on Google+” option appearing on search results to help users see which topics are trending on the social network.

Joe Meloni is Brafton's former Executive News and Content Writer. He studied journalism at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and has written for a number of print and web-based publications.