Google Mobile Ads Now with 'Hyperlocal' Ad Feature for Distance Info

Mountain View-based Internet giant Google has just announced a new feature to its Google Mobile Ads, which was aimed at delivering more locally relevant results to users searching for a specific business.

The new feature was designed so as to provide users with info on the distance to the business they are looking for, so that they can find what they are looking for faster and easier.

To exemplify the manner in which the new feature works, Google presents a hypothetical situation in which a user has problems with the car engine and needs to find a place to rent a car fast, to be able to get to work in due time.

When searching for “car rental” on the phone, one would discover, for example, an Enterprise Rent-A-Car neighborhood location, which is less than half a mile away, and which has a blue distance marker next to it, which shows its near location.

“To create more meaningful connections with their customers, Enterprise Rent-A-Car is taking advantage of Google Mobile Ads’ new hyperlocal advertising feature which serves locally relevant ads and displays distance information to help users understand how close they are to a business,” Google says.

“This powerful ad feature delivers down to the block level information about your business at the right place and at the right time,” a recent post on Google Mobile Ads Blog reads.

Hyperlocal distance information provides a marker that delivers info on the distance between the user and the location of the business.

Users on the go should be able to find what they are looking for more easily via this visual cue, especially since they would know how far the business is, not to mention that businesses can attract more customers and generate more revenue if they chose Google Mobile Ads.

“Users see the hyperlocal ads only if they’ve opted into sharing their location on Google.com. And because the hyperlocal distance feature is built on top of location extensions, users can also easily click to see where your business is located on a map and click to call and connect with your business immediately,” Google notes.

Hyperlocal distance information is enabled by default, and does not require for additional configurations, thus offering business the possibility to easily perform hyperlocal advertising with existing location extensions.

“Campaigns must also be opted into showing on iPhones, Android OS phones or other mobile devices with full Internet browsers. The ad format is available only on the Google search network and in countries supporting location extensions ad formats,” the Internet giant notes.

Advertisers are charged only at times when users click to visit the website or the phone number in the ad.