With over 1 billion users, Google Maps is a highly active platform used daily in your local area. If you have a brick-and-mortar store, this presents a dynamic advertising space that you shouldn’t overlook. To discover how to make the most of Google Maps ads, continue reading as I navigate you through the different features and steps to advertise.
Quick summary:
- Google Maps Ads (Local Search Ads) let businesses promote their locations directly on Google Maps through branded pins, promoted listings, or sponsored search results — reaching users ready to visit or call.
- With over 1 billion users and 84% of consumers searching locally, Google Maps ads are ideal for driving in-store traffic, phone calls, and visibility among nearby customers.
- The setup involves linking your Google Business Profile to Google Ads, adding location extensions, setting location targeting, and optimizing bids by area.
- Features like promoted pins, in-store promotions, customer reviews, and local inventory search help brands stand out — making Google Maps Ads a powerful tool for local business growth.
What is Google Maps ads?
Google Maps Ads, also known as Local Search Ads on Google Maps, are advertisements that appear within the Google Maps app and website.
These ads allow businesses to promote their products or services to users who are actively searching or browsing in specific locations. They typically appear as branded pins or promoted listings on the map itself or as sponsored results within search results on Google Maps.
With Google Maps Ads, businesses can reach potential customers at the moment they are looking for relevant information, such as nearby businesses, directions, or local services, making it a valuable tool for local advertising and increasing visibility for businesses in specific geographic areas.
Why Should I Use Google Maps advertising?
Google Maps advertising helps local businesses reach nearby customers at the moment they are actively searching for a product, service, or place to visit.
- Capture high-intent traffic: Reach users who are already searching for a relevant local solution and may be ready to take action.
- Increase local visibility: Place your business prominently in relevant Google Maps search results and nearby location searches.
- Encourage store visits: Help potential customers find your location and request directions directly from the ad.
- Make it easier to take action: Allow users to call, visit your website, place an order, or view business details, depending on the available features.
- Display essential business information: Show useful details such as your address, distance, opening hours, phone number, and directions.
- Strengthen local trust: Consistent visibility, accurate information, ratings, and reviews can make customers more confident in choosing your business.
- Measure local engagement: Track actions such as calls, website visits, and direction requests. Eligible accounts may also access store visit reporting.
How does Local Search ads on Google Maps work?
When individuals use their mobile devices to search for nearby businesses on Google.com, your business location might appear prominently at the top of the local search results.
Anyone seeking to buy a particular product or service will likely begin their search online. Their initial step is to input a keyword. If they find a search result that appeals to them, they will then seek out a local company that can provide a suitable solution. Naturally, both your business and your competitors’ businesses can appear on the map, making them visible among the search results on Google Maps.
Getting your business noticed on Google Maps is simple with local search ads. After you’ve crafted an ad, it has the potential to appear in three locations: mobile Google Search, the Google Maps app, and Maps on desktop.
On mobile devices, your business may be prominently displayed at the top of search results in Google Search. Additionally, your local search ad could appear when users search within the Google Maps app.
How much do Google Maps ads cost?
Google Maps Ads do not have a fixed price. Costs depend on your campaign type, bidding strategy, location, industry competition, and the searches you target.
As a broad reference, WordStream’s 2026 Google Ads benchmarks report an average Search Ads CPC of $5.42 across industries. Average CPCs range from $1.63 for Arts and Entertainment to $9.87 for Attorneys and Legal Services. However, these are general Search benchmarks rather than Maps-only averages, so your actual costs may differ.
For local search ads, Google typically charges a standard CPC when users:
- Open your location details
- Request directions
- Tap to call your business on mobile
- Click through to your website
Some promoted pin formats may instead be charged by clicks or impressions, depending on the campaign type.
Google Maps ads features
Your Maps ad comprises various elements, including the inventory search feature, your personalized business profile, current promotions, highlighted customer reviews, and promoted pins.
Featured customer reviews
A highlighted customer review commonly emerges as an extension of a business’s Google advertisement. It typically presents a concise testimonial or rating from a contented customer, accompanied by the customer’s name, photo, and supplementary details such as their location or job title. These reviews are chosen by the business and can be tailored to coincide with their particular marketing objectives.
Highlighted customer reviews offer social proof and build customer trust by alleviating concerns. Positive feedback reassures potential buyers about their decision.
Additionally, featuring customer reviews can boost Google Ads’ click-through rates as users are more likely to engage with ads that have positive reviews, potentially leading to higher conversion rates and campaign success.
Local inventory search
Local inventory search seamlessly combines Google Shopping with Maps, enhancing the shopping experience for customers.
Enabling inventory ads simplifies the browsing of your available products for customers. It’s as easy as clicking on your location. Likewise, customers can use Google Search to find a specific item. Clicking on the ad featuring your product will direct users to your local storefront, Google Business page, or landing page.
Promoted Pins
Distinguishing your business from competitors is simplified with Promoted Pins. Were you aware that 60% of mobile searches revolve around location queries? Nowadays, nearly everyone possesses a smartphone, which serves not only as a communication device but also as a navigation tool and a convenient means of seeking information, products, and services. Consequently, promoted Pins enable you to grab attention on the map through square icons.
This ad format enables you to make a stronger impression on your audience. When users click on the icon featuring your company logo, they’ll access more detailed information about it. This format is subtle and helps individuals locate precisely the category of goods or services they seek within their city.
In-store promotions
Special offers and discounts hold significant value for numerous consumers. The reality is that everyone desires to discover the most advantageous price and swiftly acquire the product or service they desire. This aspect is pivotal in the economy, as consumers consistently seek out the most favorable deals.
That’s why in-store promotions serve as an additional effective method for boosting your sales. It’s an excellent approach for persuading individuals to opt for a specific offer, as they have the direct opportunity to personally witness all the benefits.
For instance, incorporating standard Pins along with details on coupons and deals for your customers can attract more clientele within your niche and potentially even outshine the competition, especially with highly profitable offers.
Customizable business page
Businesses advertising their products/services via Google Ads can showcase vital business details, including address, phone number, website, store hours, photos, directions, and reviews, all within a unified interface. This data is automatically retrieved from the store’s Google Business listing, ensuring customers have swift access to precise and current information. Additionally, users can now interact with businesses through Google’s newly introduced Business Messages feature.
How to advertise on Google Maps?
To begin advertising on Google Maps, you require two prerequisites: a Google Business Profile and a Google Ads account. Make sure that both use the same email address if you possess one or both.
Here’s a beginner-friendly guide to creating Google Maps ads.
Step 1: Claim ownership of your Google Business Profile
Make sure your Google Business Profile account details are current. If you haven’t created a listing yet, do so promptly—without one, you’re forfeiting online visibility.
Note: Although setting up your Google Business Profile is straightforward, it may take some time to receive the confirmation code needed to verify your profile.
Step 2: Configure Search advertisements with location extensions
Once you’ve set up your Search ads, you can proceed to create Google Maps ads by using the location extension. Google’s location extension is designed to guide customers to your physical store by helping them locate it.
To activate location extensions, navigate to your Google Ads dashboard and select the Extensions option from the left-hand menu panel. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on AUTOMATED EXTENSIONS.
Next, choose “Location” from the dropdown menu, and then click on “Create ad extension.”
After that, you can select the Business Manager account to apply the extension to. Alternatively, you can opt to use Google’s curated locations to quickly create a location extension if you’re unsure which Google My Business account to link to.
Step 3: Set up location targeting
After establishing a location extension, proceed to configure your location targeting to ensure your ad appears in specific areas of your preference. From the left-hand page menu, navigate to “Locations”. Then, choose the name of the search campaign you wish to modify.
You’ll encounter two options for creating a location:
“Location”, representing an area you’re targeting, such as a country, city, or region.
“Radius”, indicating a location you’ve selected as the center of the radius. Input the desired area you want to target, then select a unit of measurement from the menu.
Verify that you are targeting the correct area, and then click “Save” to incorporate the location.
Step 4: Optimize bidding strategies based on location
A bid represents the sum of money you’re prepared to pay for a click on an advertisement. Bid adjustments involve percentage increases or decreases in your bids, allowing you to display ads more or less frequently depending on the location, time, and manner in which a user conducts their search.
For instance, clicks originating from specific locations may hold greater value for you. By applying a location bid adjustment, you can adjust the frequency of your ad appearing to searchers in particular geographic areas, such as cities, countries, or regions. When combined with location extension targeting, you can assign different bids to customers who are physically nearby to your location.
You have the flexibility to reduce a bid adjustment by up to 90% or increase it by up to 900% from the “Bid adj”. editing panel in your Google Ads dashboard.
Step 5: Track performance
Your ad is now active. To track its performance, access your Google Ads account where you can monitor metrics like clicks, impressions, and conversions. For an overview, check the “Campaigns” section for key insights such as conversion rate and average CPC.
For detailed ad analysis, review performance data under “Ads & extensions”, then “Extensions”. Adjustments can be made based on this information.
Best practices for Google Map ads
Apply these practices to improve local visibility, reach nearby customers, and reduce wasted ad spend.
1. Optimize your Google Business Profile
Link the correct verified Google Business Profile to Google Ads, then confirm that your business name, category, address, phone number, opening hours, and service areas are accurate.
Add recent photos of your storefront, interior, products, team, or parking area. If you manage several branches, use location groups so each campaign promotes only the relevant stores.
2. Build keywords around local intent
Structure keywords around the service, location, proximity, and urgency behind each search. For example:
- Core service: “emergency plumber”
- Location-specific: “plumber in Brooklyn”
- Proximity-based: “plumber near me”
- Time-sensitive: “plumber open now”
- Service-specific: “boiler repair near me”
Start with phrases and exact matches when you need tighter control. Review the search terms report regularly and exclude searches related to jobs, DIY guides, free services, unsupported locations, or services you do not offer.
Practical Tip: Do not automatically exclude terms such as “cheap” or “affordable.” Check whether they produce qualified customers before adding them as negatives.
3. Refine audience and location targeting
For Search campaigns, add in-market audiences, website visitors, and Customer Match lists in Observation mode first. This allows you to compare performance without restricting your reach too early.
Target only cities, postcodes, or radiuses your business can serve efficiently. Exclude areas that repeatedly generate irrelevant calls, high travel costs, or low-value orders. Use Presence targeting when you want to focus on people located in or regularly visiting your selected areas.
For Performance Max, use customer lists, recent website visitors, and relevant custom segments as audience signals to guide Google’s optimization.
4. Match location assets with local messaging
Location assets can provide useful information before users click your ad.
“With location assets, your ads can display information such as the store address, a map to the store location, or the approximate travel distance.” – Google Ads Help
Include details that matter to nearby customers, such as same-day availability, free parking, in-store pickup, delivery coverage, or a location-specific offer.
Send users to the relevant store or location page rather than a generic homepage. Keep your address, phone number, opening hours, services, and promotions consistent across the ad, landing page, and Business Profile.
5. Track and optimize valuable local actions
Measure actions that show real local intent, such as calls, direction requests, bookings, online orders, website visits, and store visits where available. Focus on qualified leads and completed actions rather than clicks alone.
Review performance by location, search term, device, day, and hour. Shift budget toward areas that generate stronger business results, and import offline conversions where possible so Google Ads can optimize toward actual revenue.
Top 3 examples of Google Maps advertising
Google Maps advertisements display various features and calls-to-action (CTAs), many of which are linked to Google Business Profile configurations. Let’s examine actual examples.
Bojangles ad
The Bojangles listing above showcases an “Order” button, encouraging customers to purchase food. Customers can place orders through any service the business has connected.
Circle K ad
In the Circle K ad above, there is a “Call” button to prompt potential customers to contact the business. Additionally, the gas station’s Google Business Profile shows the current fuel prices.
Lowes Foods of Carolina Forest ad
In locations with multiple businesses, there is often a “Directory” button that encourages customers to delve deeper. In the example above, the Lowe’s Foods of Carolina Forest ad directs users to a directory showcasing the store’s prepared food vendors.
FAQs About Google Maps Ads
Here are quick answers to common questions about Google Maps Ads, eligibility, setup, and performance tracking.
Usually, yes. Most location-based Maps ad formats rely on a verified business location and active location assets. Service-area businesses without a customer-facing storefront may have limited eligibility, depending on the campaign type and location setup.
No. You need an active Google Ads account and an eligible campaign. You must also connect your verified Google Business Profile or enable the appropriate location assets.
Standard Search Ads usually direct users to a website or landing page. Map search ads can also display location details, contact information, directions, and a map pin within Google Maps. They are a Maps placement or format within eligible campaigns rather than a completely separate campaign type.
Track local actions such as direction requests, calls, website visits, bookings, and orders where available. Eligible accounts may also report store visits. Evaluate qualified leads, appointments, and sales alongside these metrics to measure actual ROI.
>> Read more: Types of Google Ads: How to Choose The Right Campaigns
Wrap up
For local business owners, using Google Maps is essential. However, beyond merely listing your business, incorporating Google Maps ads can significantly enhance visibility and attract more customers.
How do you advertise on Google Maps? If you’re already using Google Maps, well done. If not, it’s time to follow my instructions to create a My Business Profile and Google Maps ads for your benefit.
