Advertising on Google Maps with Adwords

You can (and should) advertise on Google Maps for generic terms that describe your business.  Unlike the results for Google Search, when a web surfer types a category entry into a map view on Google Maps the results which are presented are limited to a single column and the majority of those results are paid ads.  (They aren’t necessarily identified that way on the map.)  As more and more consumers use their GPS phones to find the closest “whatever”, being on the list is hugely valuable.  If you have a Sushi Restaurant, wouldn’t you want to appear if anyone within 10 miles enters “Sushi” or “Japanese Food” on their GPS phone or for that matter an online map from their hotel?  For my fellow consultants out there, this is a great way to help businesses find additional value through the adwords platform that they typically are neglecting.

Consumers have a voracious appetite for trying out “new” places.  Which of course just means new to them.  Make sure you are showing up when they map their home or business and then type in whatever is relevant to your business.  (Sushi, Dentist, Haircut, Botox, etc)  If you already have a Google Adwords account you can create these ads simply by logging in and going through the steps outlined in the video below.  If you don’t have an account you’ll need to create one first at http://www.google.com/adwords

Here’s an overview video from Goolge detailing how to create the “Local Business Ads”:

http://services.google.com/awp/en_us/breeze/2829534/index.html

Another reason to pay more attention to your appearance in Google Maps is that GPS enabled phones are starting to replace car GPS units. Google Maps has strong market-share already for providing this data and is likely to continue to develop their strength in that arena. If you’ve got a visitor from out of town driving around hoping to find “the closest X” get yourself in the running! So, take a few minutes, login to your adwords account, and get this taken care of!