While back I had posted an article about how Google Maps was testing local search marketing in selected areas for 25 dollars a month that could give you a big boost in added exposure and traffic from Google Maps. Well, this is now available in all 50 U.S. states and the race is on to grab a good Internet adverting deal that I feel will be well worth the money (for now until it gets popular and Google jacks up the price).
So I did a search for “Las Vegas Plumbers” and got Google Maps first above the organic results taking up prime real estate:
Google search done for Las Vegas plumbers
Notice pinpoint “F”? This is a sponsored listing and Amco Plumbing is jumping on the bandwagon. Nice to see a small business being proactive in their local search engine marketing!
So what do you get for the $25 bucks a month? As you can see in the screenshot above, in addition to the standard info, Google released a feature called Posts which allows business owners to create a custom message with their results to let the world know what may be going on with their business at that moment. Such as happy hour specials, or other discounts and notices. I think this is awesome as you can create as many of these throughout the month just like you would with a social media post.
So how does this effect you? Hopefully by now you have signed up on all the major search engines with a your local business profile and if your business allows it, your have started to perform SEO on a local keyword basis. Don’t forget that local and mobile search are on the rise and Google is helping to push it along at a fast pace. Smartphones are become true Internet devices and are the perfect fit for local search. Here is where I can see Google Maps sponsorship really taking off:
A few months back a SES New York a few buddies wanted to head down to the “Village” to grab some pizza. Now I know my way around the “city” so going to Lombardi’s, Joe’s, or Adrienne’s was not a problem but with the amount of pizza that is in the New York City area you could eat pizza for a month and not make it to every pizza joint. So you break out your smartphone and type in “pizza”. Of course Google knows where your location is and throws Google Maps right up on your phone with the top 7 local pizza places for you to review. This would be a great opportunity for Lombardi’s to be a sponsored listing and have a post that would say “NY’s First & Best Pizza”. You think they would triple their walk in traffic? I really do and I can see how this would work for thousands of other local businesses as well.
Really, what do you have to lose to test it for a few months? If you have made a commitment to performing local search marketing for your local business I would give it a shot.
