San Francisco — Google is finally stepping into location-based extensions ad format with the introduction of mobile banner add that show users nearby services with map attributes.
Mountain View-based search engine leader Google today announced on its Google Mobile Ads Blog the introduction of its new Location Extension Ad Format for mobile devices, that it now lets advertisers geo-target their advertising and link to maps. On top of all of this, Google’s one-click calling features have been integrated.
The unit is a branch of AdWords’ location extensions. It lets advertisers to link their phone numbers and business location on an expandable map.
The new ad format will run on sites and applications that are part of the Google Display Network. The latest format displays a banner with text and a business icon, and users of smartphones like iPhone and Android will bea able to see a text call to action and small thumbnail button. However, clicking on the ad expands and displays businesses’ location and click-to-call phone numbers on a Google Map.
Now, taking into account that the new format is aware of location, users or viewers can easily get directions to the nearest advertised business. Furthermore, Google will only charge advertisers when users click to call the business or visit the advertiser’s mobile site.
Surojit Chatterjee, senior product manager for mobile ads at Google, said Google would establish the location of users through various methods, including nearby WiFi networks and the Internet Protocol address. The process is sensitive though than the location-based search ads since users will not opt-in to provide Google specific location information.
“We attempted to do our best to get the location as good as possible,” he said. “We are trying to derive it from indirect means as best we can.”
“Since ads can be served based on the user’s location, a potential customer will see the phone number and map of the store location that is close-by to them,” explains Dai Pham of Google’s Mobile Ads Marketing Team. “By offering mobile consumers more alternatives to connect with your business you can drive more traffic to your store, visits to your website or calls to your business.”
To get started, businesses need to do the following:
To utilize the new format, ensure that your campaigns are opted into the Google Display Network, and Google suggests setting up separate location extensions campaigns for search and display networks.
According to Pham, “This new ad format is available on mobile devices with full Internet browsers and allows you to spread out your advertising campaigns to reach highly engaged mobile users with relevant local information as they use their favorite apps or websites to check the weather, read the news, play games or pursue other mobile interests.”
Next is to: Set up location extensions and add your business phone number and address. Accordingly, also upload your business logo or icon, or choose from the set of icons available. Your ad will display a default icon if none is chosen.
Lastly: Check that you have chosen to show your ads on iPhones and other mobile devices with full Internet browsers.
This type of ad will definitely appeal more to user, and prove more beneficial to business owners. Chatterjee said the radius for location ads would vary. A car dealership listing, for instance, could be miles away, while a coffee shop ad would be within blocks.
Although the process is complicated by the enormous role Google rival Apple plays in the mobile market. Its rules forbid application developers, for example, from collecting location data only for advertising purposes.
Google has had its piercing vision on mobile advertising as potentially a huge driver of future growth. However, it faces sharp competition in the area from independent ad networks like Millennial Media and Greystripe as well as Apple’s new iAd net.