The AP gives no time frame on the addition of ads but explains that
ads will only appear if a particular product or service is searched. There will be no ads if one simply looks up an address.
The new ads will show up as part of balloons that float over the map itself and will also carry a small image.
The
LA Times says the ads
began to appear on Thursday. It also attributes the statements noted above to Dominic Preuss, a Google product manager for local advertising.
More from Reuters:
Advertisers can purchase the space through Google's AdWords program, where marketers bid via an auction-style system for popular search terms related to their business. Preuss said Google will not charge an additional fee for the map icons, but the price will be determined by the auction system.
Earlier this week, Google said it reached an agreement to allow Verizon Communications Corp.'s (Research) online directory SuperPages.com to sell Google search terms to its millions of listed businesses, aiming to boost for its local advertising base.
Search Engine Watch has the
step by step procedure to create such an ad, along with other links on the topic.
ZDnet has the
take on the future:
But Dominic Preuss, product manager for Google, in Mountain View, Calif., signaled that it's likely that the Google Local ads are just the beginning, and the practice could spread to other Google features using maps.
Also noteworthy from the article: confidence from an inside source that Yahoo!, Microsoft will offer similar ads.
And a note from
Google's help page for Local Business Ads: "(note: this service is available for business locations in the U.S, Canada and the U.K.)."
Quick GPS / mapping links from the previous week: Mapping software Instructables has a nice piece on making trail maps with TopoFusion, one of my all-time favorite mapping software programs. Via The Map Room. You can find more detailed information on TopoFusion in my book, GPS Mapping. DeLorme has a new version of Topo USA out — Topo USA 6.0. I’ve got a review copy on the way and will report back on it shortly. Via GPS Review. New versions of ExpertGPS and EasyGPS have been released, with some expanded geocaching features. The newest version of Fugawi embraces GPX data. Google Earth and Google Local A list of new cities with high-resolution imagery. And three inch imagery of Las Vegas. Google is officially running ads on local.google.com. The rest Ogle Earth links to a story about DIY aerial photography, which reminds me of kite aerial photography. Live in Japan? Here’s a way cool 3–D GPS phone. GPS sites were buzzzing this week about the new Navmans, especially the iCN750, which allows you to take pictures and navigate back to it. Maybe it’s just me, but I’d prefer to search by name to find a destination to navigate to, rather than
Tracked: Apr 01, 11:35
It's been in development for a while, but version 2 of the Google Maps API was officially released today. Besides technical improvements such as a smaller JavaScript codebase, Google has lifted the page view limits and has promised 90 days'...
Tracked: Apr 03, 16:30