Google will show sponsored locations in Maps

Google will provide its Maps app with advertisements. This will come in the form of sponsored ‘pins’, which can appear after entering a search query. For example, these Pins show the location of an advertiser’s store.

The sponsored Pins should give small shops and restaurants the opportunity to attract more audiences and provide a new source of income for Google. To date, the Google Maps app has hardly been provided with advertisements.

Google announces the arrival of Sponsored Pins in a post on its AdWords blog. The search giant says it is experimenting with different forms of advertisements. In all cases, these are methods that should encourage users to find their way to a company that advertises. It is not yet known when the advertisements will actually become visible in Maps.

The sponsored locations can be displayed when a user searches for a place, but also while displaying a route. For example, during a ride, Maps can indicate a coffee house, gas station or lunch spot. The sponsored pins are displayed in purple and when a user clicks more information becomes visible and a route can be planned; just like a regular red pin.