Paid Ads in Google’s Local Pack

Use Location Extensions to Show AdWords Ads in Google Local Pack Results

One of our clients emailed us this screenshot today, wondering how we were able to get that ad (circled above) to show up in Google’s Local Pack results. This one isn’t that common. Normally when you search in Google Maps, this is how the ads typically look:

They got to the above view (with the paid ad in the local listings), by expanding the local pack in the search results (you can already see they are listed #1 in the Local Pack for their most important keyword):

About Paid Ads in the Local Pack Map Listings

Not only are these new ads nearly identical to organic local pack results, they are also very similar to the location-related mobile ad format Google released last year that requires location extensions to be enabled. Those mobile ads trigger when a person searches for services near their location, and it’s possible that these desktop ads operate similarly.

(Source: Google)

The format of the ads, with the address and Google+/Google My Business stars and reviews, also immediately suggested location extensions. Last year, Google also allowed location extensions to pull in your Google+ stars to your ads.

Again, last year, Google reduced the number of listings in local packs from 7 to 3. Appearing in these results is huge for your local SEO. If someone expands these listings to see more than just the 3 shown in search results, having your AdWords campaigns properly linked to your Google+/Google My Business and location extensions enabled can allow you to show above all those organic listings. And if your local SEO is good, like Mountain Air, you can show up twice and dominate the top of the list!

Learn More about Local SEO:

• Google’s Local Business Cards
• Organic Search vs. Local Search
• Is It Still Worth It to Have a Google My Business Page?