Monday of this week, we announced the availability of Google Boost as a new online ad solution to help our small business clients better connect with potential customers in their local area. Boost is a new advertising push from Google -- launched in a limited number of cities just six months ago. The Boost ad is essentially a hybrid product; functioning as a simplified Sponsored Ad with some of the same features we see in a Places listing. Boost ads appear in both the Sponsored Links section as well as on the actual map of the local search results. We think this is a pretty unique advertising opportunity for businesses looking to get a one-up on their competitors.
Boost ads are also unique in several ways. For one thing, they feature an exclusive blue map marker, instead of the common red marker, and are only offered to local businesses that have a local physical office. So the blue map marker itself is successful in two things, 1) making the listing stand out, and 2) indicate to the person searching that the business is indeed local.
Another unique quality of Boost ads versus typical Sponsored Ads is that they appear very much the same way non-paid Google business listings do. Google themselves will select keywords for each advertisement (unlike AdWords) based on the associated Places account profile and categories. Beyond the basics like name of company, address, phone number and website, Boost ads display the number of reviews and average star rating. This is especially appealing to advertisers when we know that nearly half of searchers prefer to select a local business based off of consumer ratings and reviews.
As a Certified Google AdWords Partner, EZlocal is offering Google Boost as an add-on product available exclusively with our Exposure and Growth Plans. This is an effective hyperlocal product concentrating on a maximum 15-mile search radius.
In a nutshell, Google Boost provides a sure way to get noticed in a heavily commercialized area, where a business might find themselves buried among hundreds of other local businesses.
