How Does Google Maps Make Money

Looking to drive more foot traffic to your local store? Here's a simple guide to advertising on the world's most popular navigation platform.

Driving foot traffic to your local store can be a nightmare, especially as people increasingly get products delivered right to their doorsteps.

But here's the silver lining: Most people don't want to just sit there and shop on the internet. They would rather visit a store in person to first see, touch and feel a product before they buy it online.

To get these people to visit your store, you need to show up in front of them at exactly the right time. One effective way to do this is by advertising on Google Maps.

People all over the globe use Google Maps to search for and navigate to more than 1.5 billion destinations each year, including nearby businesses. A recent survey found it to be 6x more popular than other navigation apps.

In fact, the navigation app has over one billion users worldwide.

This offers an immense opportunity for local retail stores and businesses to invest in the platform, especially since ads on Google Maps are still relatively new and competition is currently weak.

In this article, you will find out why exactly you should consider advertising on Google Maps, along with a detailed guide on how to put it into action.

We will cover:

How Ads on Google Maps Work
The Benefits of Advertising on Google Maps
How to Advertise on Google Maps

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How Ads on Google Maps Work

You might already be familiar with the local search ads on Google Maps.

These are typically the top two results that show up after you perform a search on the app, and are accompanied with a purple 'Ad' label.

Users can swipe up on these paid ads to see more details about the promoted businesses. These details include photos, reviews, phone numbers, addresses and more.

Local search ads on Google Maps work the same way as any other PPC ads. When a user clicks on your ad, you pay.

Recently, however, Google announced several changes to the format of the ads shown on Maps.

According to Google, these changes were introduced to help relevant local businesses increase their visibility and drive more foot traffic.

In their recent Performance Summit, Google announced the following features of the new Maps ads:

Promoted Pins

Advertised locations on Google Maps will now show up as Promoted Pins, which are basically purple-colored location pins designed to stand out from the crowd of ordinary red pins.

Here is what Promoted Pins look like:

Google Maps promoted pin

The purple Promoted Pin will also be accompanied by the business's logo, further helping it stand out and attract attention.

Users can tap on these Promoted Pins to reveal more information about the business and its products.

In-Store Promotions

Along with a purple pin, advertised local businesses on Google Maps can also show in-store promotions – like coupons and deals – right on their ad.

Google Maps local business page

This is a great way for businesses to attract nearby customers browsing for similar products or services. In fact, you can even steal customers away from your competitors by offering an enticing discount!

Local Inventory Search

Users that tap on your ad can also search up local inventory for products of their interest.

This is important because, according to Google's data, most people hesitate to visit stores just because they're unsure if their desired product will be in stock.

To display your local inventory information, you will need to let Google know about it first. Here's how you can do that.

Customizable Business Page

Local businesses that advertise on Maps will get their own customizable page that users will be taken to every time they click on their ad.

You can put your phone numbers, addresses, website, photos, directions, and more on this page.

The Benefits of Advertising on Google Maps

Before you dive into the process of getting your ad to actually show up on Google Maps, you need to understand why it's such a big deal.

Reach People on the Go

First of all, not only is the navigation app one of its kind, it is mobile. This means that by advertising on Google Maps, you're reaching people on the go, regardless of where they are.

In a Google Performance Summit, the company revealed that one-third of mobile searches are related to location.

If you're a business with a physical location, advertising on Google Maps means more people will be able to find you just when they need you.

Increase Visibility

If you have a lot of local competitors in your area, your pin location is likely to drown in the sea of all the other pins around you.

Google Maps' ads help you stand out of the crowd and increase your visibility.

Promoted pins come in a different color (purple) than other, non-promoted pins, and can even show your logo right on the map.

Moreover, ads on the platform are still relatively new. Investing in them now would be a great time to steal foot traffic from the local competition around you.

Drive Action

Advertising on Google Maps can not only increase your visibility, but can also prompt users to take action.

For instance, around 75% of users who search up for a product/service/location nearby are likely to visit a store within the next 24 hours.

Moreover, 28% of those searches end up in an actual purchase.

Google Maps encourages customer engagement with several action-oriented features, like buttons that let users call your business or access the exact directions to your location.

How to Advertise on Google Maps

Here's how you can advertise on Google Maps.

Set Up Your Ads

Setting up your ads to show up on Google Maps only takes a few minutes.

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to do that:

Update & Verify Your Google My Business (GMB) Listing

Before you can run your ads on Maps, you need to create a listing for your business on Google and get it officially verified.

Navigate to Google My Business, and click on "Start Now" to set up your account.

Google My Business

Next, follow the step-by-step instructions here.

Once you're done, you might have to wait a week or two for Google to send you a confirmation letter by mail. This is a necessary step so Google can verify your business's physical location is real.

Connect Your Google Ads Account & Enable Local Extensions

Now that you've verified your business on Google, go ahead and create a Google Ads, previously known as AdWords, account (if you don't already have one).

Make sure you're using the same email address for both the GMB and the Google Ads accounts.

Once you've signed into Google Ads, navigate over to Ad Extensions.

From the drop-down menu, select Location extensions.

Location extensions image

Next, select your Google My Business account and double check your location to see if everything is okay. Once you're done, click on Finish.

Now that you've set up your location extension, navigate over to Call extensions. This setting will enable users to access your phone number and call your business.

Target & Bid by Specific Locations

After you've set up your location extensions, you need to target specific locations and bid by location to make the most out of your ads.

Go over to Keywords & Targeting > Locations.

Here, select one or more locations and adjust your bids next to Bid adjustment.

For more details on how to do that, here is a support link from Google.

Target Specific Keywords

Always remember to optimize the keywords you use in your ads.

Keep track of what potential customers in your area are searching for, and use that data to optimize your ads and campaigns.

Use a mix of both general and specific keywords. Google recommends using 5-20 keywords per ad group.
Here is more information on how to use the right keywords in your ads.

Track Performance

You can easily track the performance of your ads on Google Maps.

To start off, sign in to your Google Ads account.

Next, navigate to the Campaigns tab. Now, click on Segment > Click Type.

Here, you should be able to see tons of metrics to help you measure the performance of your ads.

Promoted pin based clicks image

The New 'It' Platform for Local Advertisers

Even though online shopping is getting increasingly popular by the day, statistics show that mobile searchers are still constantly on the lookout for local businesses.

This means if you have a physical location and would like to increase foot traffic, you need to consider advertising on Google Maps.

Advertising on Google Maps is simple, and takes just a few minutes to set up.

Simply create a listing on Google My Business, connect it to your Google Ads (previously AdWords) account, and enable location extensions.

To ensure your ad works well, incorporate trending keywords into your campaigns. Also, target specific locations and bid by location to get optimal results.