Saying a third of mobile searches are local, Google brings Promoted Pins to Maps

Local searches are growing 50 percent faster than mobile searches overall.

Google has experimented with ads in Google Maps off and on for years. But in the mobile first era, its getting much more serious about ads on Maps.

Among a number of announcements coming out of Googles?Performance Summit today, the company is introducing the next generation of local search ads on Google and Google Maps (apps and mobile web). The company is also bringing what it calls more branded and customized experiences for marketers to Google Maps.

Recently, it began showing ads in the Local Finder. Now, the company is introducing promoted pins or promoted locations on Maps (below, left). Users will see branded pins along their route or nearby. Its worth noting that Mapquest has done this for quite a few years.

Marketers will need to use location extensions to appear in promoted pins. Google also says its still testing and experimenting with formats, so were likely to see an evolution of this over time.

New-look local pages (below, right) will also offer new features and customization. Businesses will be able to include a range of content types, as appropriate to their category. For example, retailers can include local product inventory (provided they have an inventory feed going to Google). Marketers can also include promotions and discounts to encourage store visits.