Do More With Your Local Business Ads in Google Maps

By Chris Crum - Wed, 01/14/2009 - 3:03pm.

Google Adds New Features

As an online business, it is important not to look past your local audience. As a brick and mortar business, your local audience might even be your entire audience. Your presence in Google Maps is important. You (should) know that by now.

Keeping this in mind, Google has introduced some improvements to its AdWords local business ads for Google Maps (only). New improvements include:

- Info Window Features
- Reporting Capabilities

Your information window in Google Maps will now feature new interactive links designed to connect users to your business quickly. "Previously, a click on your ad's info window could only take the user to your website," explains Amanda Kelly of the Inside AdWords Crew. "Now, users will be able to interact with the info window to get the information they’re looking for about your business, right away. The new links include 'Get Directions,' 'Street View' (where available), and 'Save to My Maps.' Shortly after we implement these links, we’ll also add a 'Send' link, allowing the user to send your business info to their phone or email. Users will still be able to click through to your site if they wish -- the info window simply offers additional free functionality."

Google has received numerous requests for local business ad reporting, so soon AdWords advertisers will have access to a new interaction report for local business ads via their account's Report Center. Kelly says it will help you accurately assess your ROI with local business ads by detailing how many users opened your info window and clicked on each of the new interactive links.

"Often, Maps users are looking for different information than Search users," she says. "The new interactive links and the interaction reports should not only help customers connect with you faster but should also help you understand how to better target Maps users versus Search users. We’ll post again on this blog when the new changes to the reporting capabilities take effect."

Don't forget to check out Google's official guidelines for quality listings. They offer a re-inclusion request option that will give your business an opportunity to appeal if a listing is removed too. If you haven't looked into it yet, you also may want to check out local TV advertising via AdWords.

In some other Google-related news that online businesses and business with websites might be interested in, they have introduced a new Sitemap Generator.

News Tags: Marketing, AdWords, online business, Brick and Mortar, advertising, Google, Google Maps, local

About the author:
Chris is a content coordinator and staff writer for SmallBusinessNewz and the iEntry Network. Subscribe to SmallBusinessNewz RSS Feeds.

Comments

By James Moore (SBN reader) - Thu, 01/15/2009 - 11:46am.

This article is very correct

We started out as a local Workers Comp advisory company and used the web to build us into a national company. Ironically, we are now receiving many inquiry calls as the LOCAL potential clients like that we are in the same general area.

Our local business has been growing very steadily over the last few months even though we are a web-based national company. Our clients may never meet us face-to-face,, but they really apprdciate that if needed, we are only a short drive away.

James J Moore

J&L Risk Mgmt Consultants

By Erika Slater (SBN reader) - Fri, 01/16/2009 - 11:02pm.

Getting Listed in Local Business Helped Me

Being a hypnotist specializing in one-on-one smoking cessation programs it is critical referrals are from people that can get to my office easily, and showing up in Google Maps because I'm listed in Google Local Business has helped grow my business since being added.

Advice - take some time with your listing as this will show up when they click more info. and it will be critical in determining if they will click through to your web site or make a phone call.

Erika

By florida web design (SBN reader) - Fri, 01/23/2009 - 11:18am.