Google.com Emerges As Deals Launch Pad

“Subscribe to Google Offers for the best deals in Seattle.”

Emerald City dwellers had their first taste of Google Offers on Wednesday, and visitors to the Google.com home page saw the above geo-targeted ad copy underneath the search box. Google Offers is now also live in Austin, TX; Boston; Washington, DC; and Denver. And according to a Google spokesperson, viewers in those cities also saw a municipality-specific pitch to sign up for the Offers email list.

Leveraging Google’s home page – which according to comScore received 127 million unique U.S. visitors in July – seems to be the search giant’s most telling signal so far that it’s serious about taking on daily deals leaders Groupon and LivingSocial. On Aug. 31, New Yorkers were greeted by even more specific Offers copy on their Google.com home page:

“$25 American Museum of Natural History tickets for $5. See today’s Google Offer.”

Google Offers is now live in eight markets, while the initiative’s hub page shows it will soon launch in 27 more cities. When asked about a timeline for the new markets rolling out, a spokesperson for the Mountain View, CA-based company declined to comment.