Since Google’s launch of Google Ads in the year 2000 it has grown into a $95 billion advertising platform.
What was once a fairly low-cost exchange for businesses to attract leads and grow revenue, has become a highly-competitive marketplace which is indispensable to many digitally-focused industries.
Google Ads is no longer a place where inexperienced advertisers can go and make a splash by filling in a few forms. It’s a complex ecosystem of bidding, extensions, creative, and targeting, that only PPC experts can truly optimize.
One important lever of optimization for PPC experts is ad location extensions. Location extensions are a feature in Google Ads that allows you to show business location data – such as your address – with your ads to increase the likelihood of someone taking action.
They look like this:
Location extensions are especially important for locally based businesses who are looking to attract customers who may be just around the corner and searching for a local solution to their problem.
But they aren’t only useful for locally based campaigns. You can show multiple nearby locations, if you have them, and increase your ad Quality Score by making the most of additional ad space for communicating value – subsequently increasing click-through-rates.
So, then, how do you start making the most of location extensions in your Google Ads campaigns?
All you need to do is link your Google My Business account with your Google Ads account and activate location extensions.
But aren’t Google My Business and Google Ads one in the same?
It’s easy to bundle these two platforms together, but Google Ads and Google My Business are two separate and equally important business tools.
Google My Business is a free platform that enables businesses to list their key information on Google Search and Google Maps. Google Ads, on the other hand, is a paid advertising platform that businesses can use to attract more awareness for their business across Google’s search and display network.
These platforms are separate in their setup and purpose. Google My Business is an essential tool for just about any business, whereas Google Ads is more of an add-on for growth-focused companies in certain industries.
But, if you are using Google Ads search ads to generate new business, it is important to link your Google Ads account with your Google My Business account so that your potential customers experience a consistent brand across all mediums.
The rest of this article will walk you through exactly how to link Google My Business and Google Ads using location extensions.
Note: If you are doing this for a client you will need access to both their Google My Business account and their Google Ads account.
Step 1 – Make sure the Google My Business email address and Google Ads email address are the same
Is this email address the same as the one being used to log into you or your client’s Google Ads account? If it is, then move onto Step 2. If it’s not, then you’ll need to login to Google Ads and provide Admin access to the email address associated with the Google My Business account.
To do so, in Google Ads navigate to Tools > Setup > Account Access:
Step 2 – Navigate to Ad Extensions in your Google Ads account
Step 3 – Create a Location Extension
Note: If you don’t have access to the appropriate Google My Business Account with this Google Ads email address, you can request access at this step by entering the email associated with that account and following the prompts.
Click “Continue” and review the location information to ensure it is correct, then click “Finish”.
You’re all done! Your Google My Business account is now connected with Google Ads and you can use the locations associated with that account as extensions in your ads.
Here are some other helpful resources for connecting your Google My Business account with Google Ads:
If your interested in ranking higher in Google Maps using Google My Business see this post:
Beyond Google My Business and Google Ads theres a 3rd opportunity for local businesses to get leads: Local Service Ads:
