Google Maps goes down scenic route with ad-heavy “promoted pins”

Google plans big changes in the way it delivers ads to users of core services such as Maps and Gmail.

The company said it would bring a feature dubbed "promoted pins" to its popular Maps app, allowing businesses to pay for additional presence when a user makes a relevant search.

Google's senior ads VP, Sridhar Ramaswamy, was careful to make the strategy sound benign. He said in a blog post:

We’re experimenting with a variety of ad formats on Maps that make it easier for users to find businesses as they navigate the world around them. For example, Maps users may start to see promoted pins for nearby coffee shops, gas stations or lunch spots along their driving route.

Ars understands that Google hopes to carefully integrate the new functionality, while preventing too much clutter for the user.

"Ads are designed to integrate seamlessly into the natural Maps experience and we are closely monitoring how users respond to provide the best experience possible," A Google spokesperson said.

"Promoted pins may appear, depending on whether the store is advertising something at that time. For example, if you open up Maps to find the nearest hardware store, the search results will list your options, and may also feature an ad telling you that the nearby B&Q is having a 10 percent off promotion."

Mobile's increasing dominance is the reason for these changes: more than half of all traffic on the Web now comes from smartphones and tablets. Ramaswamy added: "nearly one third of all mobile searches are related to location."

Google's spokesperson told Ars: "We’ve had versions of ads in Maps previously. The goal here is to make our ads even more compatible to the Maps environment, while also providing a contextual solution based on a consumer’s overall intent."