The announcement of the new Local PlusBox by Google Adwords which places geographical information in the top paid search location changes the PPC strategy for those using more local targeting. The new expandable feature allows advertisers to bid to the top spot in an effort to have the opportunity to display such valuable information as a map, address, driving instructions, and phone number, in addition to the location name that appears beneath the last line of the paid search ad.
You can read the rest of my thoughts on this new feature in my article – AdWords Local PlusBox A Great Addition – over at Search Engine Guide.
This is definitely a great addition and a big benefit to the local small business trying to make sense of PPC marketing for their local products or services. It’s nice to see the local business get some attention by big business.
yes, this is huge for local businesses/webmasters. Not sure why this is the first I heard about it but thx for the heads up
It’s great to have this, both for advertisers and publishers.
The online advertising industry is huge this benefits everyone…
I didn’t realize they were doing this. I think its a great addition. It will work well for the small local business owner.
Gary Luckner
Is a great addition for the local advertisers with Adwords and I used it successfully from the beginning. Now I am happy I did it because it increased the traffic on a small local business site.
I’m still yet to see this in the wild, but it looks like a great addition for local based businesses. If anything I think the plus box helps to draw even more attention to your PPC listing…
Being a small business owner, I have to say I am quite happy about this.
Local search options are the way of the future, so this does not surprise me. As the cost of transportation rises, people search more and more for local products and services, and the search engines will need to continually move in the same direction accordingly.
house contents insurance…
Xeroxes prominent local.osteopath …
That’s really very great, that the new expandable feature allows advertisers to bid to the top spot in an effort to have the opportunity to display such valuable information as a map, address, driving instructions, and phone number, in addition to the location name that appears beneath the last line of the paid search ad.
If your ad appears with the Local PlusBox, you’ll still only pay for clicks that lead to your landing page. You won’t be charged for clicks on the Local PlusBox, map, or driving instructions.
If you’re already using local business ads, you don’t have to change anything in your campaign settings for this feature to appear. If you want the Local PlusBox displayed with your ad, your ad must show in the top position. We recommend increasing your ad quality to improve your ad’s position, and please remember that all ads must meet quality and price thresholds to appear at the top of the page.
Being a small business owner, I have to say I am quite happy about this.