August 15, 2006 Comments
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In a move designed to show that online search is closely tied to offline purchases, Google has decided to allow AdWords advertisers to offer printable coupons via the Google Maps service. MediaPost Publications reports that the new offering was sparked by a partnership with local coupon distributor ValPack, but will soon be expanded to all AdWords advertisers.
For the new service, merchants that wish to distribute coupons can arrange to have an icon placed next to their listings on the Maps page. Users can then click on the icon to load and print the coupons. Currently, Google displays listings of businesses--gleaned from directory services and merchant submissions--alongside its map of an address.
The good news for small business owners is that no web site is necessary to participate in the new program....
In the coming months, Google will extend the service to allow any AdWords advertiser to participate, Gokul Rajaram, product management director at Google, said. He added that marketers won't need a Web site to participate, because Google will arrange for them to create a coupon page, which can be linked as a pay-per-click landing page. "We're going to be launching the ability for AdWords advertisers to easily create ads to drive traffic to the coupons page," he said. "At that point, the advertiser doesn't need a Web site."
This could be a good move for both Google Maps and small businesses that sell a service rather than a product. As local search continues to grow, local service providers will find more and more searches being directed at them and the ability to offer up an incentive on services should help increase conversion rates.
For more details on how to get coupons up and running on your AdWords account, check out Loren Baker's great post over at Search Engine Journal.
Jennifer Laycock is the Editor of Search Engine Guide, an educational web site aimed at translating the search marketing world into something that small business owners can understand. Jennifer specializes in common sense search engine marketing, viral marketing and customer outreach via social media and blogs. A former search marketing consultant and in-house trainer, Jennifer’s clients have included companies like Verizon, American Greetings and Highlights for Children. Her primary clients now are a little girl named Elnora and a little boy named Emmitt.
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