Google tests local ads in Maps auto-suggest results

By Ginny Marvin

Published: October 15, 2020 at 9:10 pm

Google is testing ads for local businesses in Google Maps auto-suggest search results.

Thibault Adda, local search specialist at Darden Restaurants, noticed and tweeted about it Thursday. As he typed a search for “Seafood restaurant,” an ad for the seafood restaurant chain Red Lobster appeared in the auto-suggest results before he completed the search query, as you can see in the screenshot he shared.

google testing local ads in Maps search results — Screenshot: Thibault Adda.

Google confirmed with us that this is an experiment. “We’re always testing new ways to improve our experience for our advertisers and users, but don’t have anything specific to announce right now,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

Why we care. It’s unclear if these ads are delivered only through Local campaigns or generally via location extensions, but it’s another sign that Google is continually testing new ways and places to surface ads. Serving them up in auto-suggest results is a first as far as we know.

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Contributing authors are chosen for their expertise and work under the oversight of the editorial staff. Search Engine Land is owned by Semrush. The contributor was not asked to mention Semrush; the opinions expressed are their own.

About the author

Ginny Marvin

Ginny Marvin was Third Door Media’s former Editor-in-Chief (October 2018 to December 2020), running the day-to-day editorial operations across all publications and overseeing paid media coverage. Ginny Marvin wrote about paid digital advertising and analytics news and trends for Search Engine Land, MarTech and MarTech Today. With more than 15 years of marketing experience, Ginny has held both in-house and agency management positions. She can be found on Twitter as @ginnymarvin.