Business.gov, the official business link to the U.S. government, has launched new search features and expanded content that make it easier for small-business owners to find essential information they need to run their operations, including forms, licenses, permits and regulatory information from federal, state and local governments.

In addition to federal-government resources, business owners now have access to more than 9,000 state, territory, county and city government Web sites providing information on starting and managing a business while complying with regulations from all levels of government.

Business.gov’s new search service is a “mashup” — a unique service created by combining content from separate Web applications — of Google-based services that include Google’s Custom Search Business Edition, Google Maps, the Google Search Appliance and publicly available compliance information culled from federal, state and local government Web sites.

The new service improves upon general search services by delivering results directly aligned with doing business in a specific geographic area, saving business owners time by getting to the right information more quickly.

“The inclusion of state and local content on Business.gov means that small-business owners can go to one Web site to find what they need to successfully manage their operations,” said Nancy Sternberg, program manager of the Business Gateway Initiative. “Business.gov helps give small business owners a complete understanding of what’s needed to comply with government regulations.”