Mountain View, California — Attempting to win over its rival Yahoo’s local ad unit model, Google has finally introduced a more novel and simplified version of short ad unit for local businesses called Local Listing Ads.
These Local Listing Ads are configured to display when users search for a business in its local area and will contain only basic information about a business, such as contact info and a link. The units will appear on Google.com in local results at the top of the results page, and in Google Maps. The new ads will be displayed at the top of a search results page when users conduct a geographic search for a category related to an advertiser’s business.
“Once you select a standard category that best describes your business, Google determines the cost that ensures the ad is seen by the highest number of people looking for businesses like yours in your location.”
Google spokesperson Deanna Yick declined to comment as to how much the ads will cost, since Google will be testing prices for each location and category to find the best balance between cost and return for the advertiser.
According to Google, more than 80% of people look to Google for local information, and this is the best way to make your listing stand out. The ads are targeted only to people who are near your business.