Google is again testing ads on local business profiles. The company did similar work again in 2017 and last year. This recent test was first observed by Tim Kapper in restaurants and many other departments.
There is no choice. I have confirmed that businesses cannot opt-out of advertising that appears on their local profiles. Ads appear on both desktop and mobile.
Third-party advertising so far appears to be linked to all businesses. The order of the meal is for the restaurant only - although it is pointed out that the announcement can direct the order to go directly to the restaurant.
Group ads (below) for an unwanted business can take you to the offer page because the search may be a buyer without encouragement.
Third-party advertising on a local business profile. Source: Tim Kiper
When asked for comment, a Google spokesperson said, "It's a small pilot program right now. We're always working on new ways to improve the experience for customers and marketers."
The 'Whitelist' Pilot Program I asked if this was part of local campaigns, which were some of the previous efforts. According to Google, this is different. This now applies to a small, whitelisted group of advertisers - Groupon, Seamless, and Caviar, the three that I have seen so far.
Google says it will not allow advertising that misrepresents the delivery relationship when one occurs, especially with restaurants and third-party delivery services. The company has previously announced its ability to find a preferred food-delivery provider that will prioritize restaurants that associate delivery services with local profiles. Unauthorized providers can be removed from the profile. Google has said it will be able to customize online ordering preferences for restaurants over the next few weeks to all restaurants in GMB.
Why do we not care? Google is always testing new displays of advertising. And, it has been seeking additional methods of local demonetization for some time.
In April 2019, Google Local conducted a survey asking local businesses about Google My Business features and tools. One of the topics provided is "Delete ads from your business profile". One of the advantages listed is that Yelp has a "better profile". In addition to the revenue generated by clicks, Google can consider the linear equivalent.
0 Comments