Google Showing Ads on Local Finder Page; Mimics Organic Results

If you click through to Google’s Local Finder Page from a local 3-pack in the search results, you might see AdWords ads showing up on the left hand side, above the organic map pack listings.

I first spotted it on Monday night, but it seems as though it is a limited test with only a few people noticing it.

Here is what it looks like:

What is interesting about the examples I noticed is that they all showed the distance to the business, similar to how the regular non-ad ones appear.  But not everyone is seeing them this way, so this could be a test within a test.

And here is another example:

This isn’t really a surprise.  Many have expected ads to show up here eventually, and some businesses that are having problems ranking in the local 3-pack will be pretty happy to see this option being tested.  The top 3 spots in the map pack have been very competitive since Google dropped the 7-pack for the smaller 3-pack, so it does present a great opportunity for those who would like to pay for the top spot.

There hasn’t been any sightings of the ads appearing in the local 3-pack, but that is where many people are wondering if these ads are headed next.  In the examples I saw, they would blend in very well with the local 3-pack, even with the ad tag.

If you are an advertiser, here are all the details about the Google AdWords changes for these ads, including a major change to how Google serves these ads, and how you can get your ads to appear there.

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Jennifer Slegg

Founder & Editor at The SEM Post

Jennifer Slegg is a longtime speaker and expert in search engine marketing, working in the industry for almost 20 years. When she isn't sitting at her desk writing and working, she can be found grabbing a latte at her local Starbucks or planning her next trip to Disneyland. She regularly speaks at Pubcon, SMX, State of Search, Brighton SEO and more, and has been presenting at conferences for over a decade.

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