Knowledge is the Foundation To Success  

Do I need to Create a Local Business Ad to advertise on Google Maps?

Google has begun, more than ever, pulling regular search ads into the Google maps display – especially if there are limited competitors running local business ads.  They have also started to default the maps display to the small map with many more local listings and sponsored listings displayed on the screen.  This has created a need for more ads to run in this space – typically there are only three that run when a full map is displayed.

Despite that, a Local business Ad is much more powerful because of the actions the user can take to interact with your ad and find your business.

When you run a Local Business Ad:

1. An icon that you design is displayed on the map.  If done correctly, this can cause your location to stand out from the crowd.
2. Your address is displayed in the ad.
3. Your ad has a link that says “Show on Map”.  As I discussed in my last post about Google Local Business Ads, if your audience is particularly sensitive to location, seeing your location on the map can be a great selling point.
4. Once they have select the option to show your information listing on the map, the user can get directions, show the street view, save to their saved map locations or send the listing to an email address or even a GPS system!
5. Also on the information listing, you can display your phone number and an image.

How do I run Local Business Ads?

First, you must have a Google Local Business Listing  – this is something you should have regardless of whether you run ads.  It is free and when you have a local business listing, properly optimized, your listing can show up on the first page of Google maps for your targeted key phrases.

Second, once you have created a local business listing, you can add a local business ad to any ad group from within the Adwords Editor interface.   Simply select the Ads tab, the Local Business Ads tab and Add Local Business Ad.  You can add the business location, the ad copy, an image to be displayed on the Information listing and a small little icon to be used as a Map Marker on the map.

For more information on creating and managing local business ads, contact the PPC Management Professionals at JumpFly.

What are Google Local Business Ads?

Google Local Business Ads – or Maps Ads – are similar to search ads but they appear on the Google Maps platform.  This platform has been growing in traffic since its inception and is now available on many other devices beyond the desktop/laptop including the popular iPhone.

The significance of local business ads is that they satisfy the intent of the search when it comes to local business.  Most local businesses thrive on location – in other words – if someone is looking for a new dentist and you can show the visitor that you are minutes from their home or work, they are more likely to click through or give you a call than if they discover you are an hour or more away.  Therefore, showing your ad in the context of your location on a map gives the visitor that much more incentive to contact you.

Should I be running Local Business Ads?

Perform a search on one of your top keyword phrases from the regular Google Search screen – for example, “find a dentist”.  You will notice that one of the first natural listings, if not the first, is a large group of local business listings next to a map.  There is a large link at the top that says “Local Business Results for <search term> near <your location> and another smaller link at the bottom that says “More results near <your location>”.  When the visitor clicks on either of these links, Google Maps is displayed along with the first several local business ads. 

Because of the location within the natural search results, these links are much more likely to be clicked than any of the sponsored search results.  Creating local business ads to be shown on Google maps can greatly increase your exposure. Contact a professional PPC Management Agency with any additional questions.

More in my next post on How to run Local Business Ads.

Here at JumpFly, we’ve been doing a lot with regional clients in tightening up the areas they want to target for their Google AdWords accounts. Google has some pretty sophisticated geographic targeting (Geo Targeting) levels – well ahead of Yahoo Sponsored Search and MSN. (Quick note: we did get an email from our Yahoo rep that there are new targeting options coming out in March, but I don’t know what they are yet). Here’s a quick peek at the Google AdWords geo targeting levels.

1. Country Geo Targeting: target a specific country or countries. Please note the default for US accounts was changed recently to US AND Canada. If you only want to target the US, you’ll need to remove Canada.
2. State or Territory Geo Targeting: select a specific state, like California, or states.
3. Metro Area Geo Targeting: target a metropolitan area like Los Angeles or Chicago. Metro areas are “geographical areas defined by Arbitron that generally correspond to the United States Federal Government’s Metropolitan Areas.”
4. City Geo Targeting: just want to target a specific city like Portland or Houston? Google doesn’t list all cities for a geographic area but it lists a decent amount.
5. Radius Geo Targeting: pick a point on a map and specify a radius around that point. You can do any mileage you like, but Google recommends a minimum of 20 miles or 35 kilometers.
6. Custom Area Geo Targeting: if have an odd shaped target area, like along a major highway corridor, you can select specific points on a map to create your own custom shape.

You can also exclude specific areas from your geo targeting at AdWords. Maybe you have multiple locations in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area but not in Dallas itself, and you’ve found that people who live in Dallas won’t travel to your location. You can exclude the city of Dallas, but still target the rest of the metro area.

That covers the different options on Google AdWords Geo Targeting. In another blog I’ll cover the factors that Google uses to determine when and to whom to show your ad.

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