Google has been busy this week, first off introducing click-to-buy buttons on YouTube, then AdSense for Flash games and now text ads on Google Maps. A good idea in principle, but you have to question the motivation behind this when the ad takes you through to the advertiser’s website (as with usual search ads) rather than to the specific placement on the map (as expected). The ads are local business ads, but triggered by search terms.
Not too unlike the content network, there is a lot of untapped inventory to make the most of, with comScore reporting 131 million unique users worldwide and 1.3 billion page views in August, but how cost effective is this new placement? Only one or two ads are shown at one time, with arrow options to scroll through, and unless highly specific to the geo area and specific search term, could prove fruitless.
My guess would be a similar trend to the content network - high number of impressions, almost pitiful CTR. Anyone searching for a destination on Google Maps clearly has that specific location in mind so I find it hard to believe they will be swayed by one liners at the bottom of the page.
This is one time I would love to be proved wrong though. The idea, in theory, is a good one, especially for generic terms such as ‘hotels’ or ‘restaurants’, and would provide a welcome extension of the current geo-targeting option on AdWords - especially for local businesses. Unfortunately, I expect the reality of this to be somewhat different, with an influx of major competitors eating away at the top positions, and pushing the more relevant creatives out of the picture.
Text ads on image searches next then!?
Related Blogs
- Related Blogs on Google
- Related Blogs on google maps
- Text Ads On Google Maps