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.
Jennifer Slegg
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