Want more customers finding your business on Google Maps? Promoted pins help you capture high-intent searchers right when they're looking for businesses like yours.

This guide shows you how to set up local search ads (Promoted pins) that drive foot traffic, phone calls, and store visits.

What Are Local Search Ads?

Local search ads appear as distinctive square pins on Google Maps when people search for businesses in your area. Regular business listings show as round pins: your ad stands out with a square pin and can include your logo.

These ads reach customers at the moment they're ready to take action. People searching on Maps are looking for directions, phone numbers, or business hours, strong intent signals that they're ready to visit or call.

Key benefits:

Why Local Search Ads Work for Local Businesses

Maps searchers have high purchase intent. They're not casually browsing, they're actively looking for a business to visit right now.

Here's what makes local search ads effective:

Prerequisites: What You Need Before Starting

Before you can run local search ads, you need:

Without a verified and linked Google Business Profile, your ads cannot appear on Maps. Set this up first.

How to Set Up Local Search Ads (Step-by-Step)

Step 1: Verify and Link Your Google Business Profile

Your Google Business Profile must be verified and connected to your Google Ads account.

To verify your profile:

To link it to Google Ads:

This connection is required. Without it, Promoted pins cannot appear on Maps.

Step 2: Choose Your Campaign Type

Google offers three campaign types that work with local search ads. Each has different features:

Performance Max with store goals

Smart campaigns

Search campaigns with location assets

Pro Tips for Better Local Search Ad Performance

Start Small and Scale

Begin with a tight radius (5-10 miles) and expand once you see results.

Testing a smaller area helps you:

Once you find success, gradually increase your radius by 5 miles at a time.

Use High-Quality Photos

Your images directly impact click-through rates. Use photos that:

Ads with high-quality images see 20-30% higher engagement.

Optimize Your Google Business Profile

Your Business Profile affects your ad performance and Quality Score.

Make sure you have:

A complete, optimized profile improves your ad placement and reduces costs.

Track Multiple Conversions

Don't just track store visits, measure phone calls, direction requests, and website clicks.

This gives you a complete picture of how customers engage with your ads. Many customers research online before visiting, so website clicks are valuable even if they don't immediately visit.

Adjust Bids by Location Performance

After 2-4 weeks, review which areas drive the most conversions:

This concentrates your budget where it works best.

Update Your Ads Seasonally

Refresh your ad copy and images to match seasons, holidays, or special events.

Examples:

Seasonal updates keep your ads relevant and can improve performance by 15-25%.

Important Limitations to Know

You can't run ads exclusively on Maps

Your campaign will also serve across Google Search, YouTube, and other Google properties. There's no way to target only Google Maps.

This is actually beneficial: your ads reach customers across multiple touchpoints.

Promoted pins require zoom level

Your square pin won't show when users are zoomed out too far. Users need to zoom into a closer view of your area for Promoted pins to appear.

This ensures your ad shows when users are actively browsing businesses in your immediate vicinity.

Store visit tracking has limitations

Google can only estimate store visits, it's not 100% accurate. The system requires:

Treat store visit data as directional rather than exact.

Performance Max has less control

Unlike Search campaigns, Performance Max automates most decisions. You can't:

The tradeoff is easier management and often better overall performance.

Which Campaign Type Should You Use?

Different campaign types work for different ad formats on Maps.

For Promoted pins (square pins on the map):

For Map search ads (top of search results):

For Map suggest ads (autocomplete):

Most businesses should start with Performance Max with store goals. It offers the best combination of features and automation.

Measuring Your Local Search Ad Success

Track these metrics to evaluate performance:

Store visits

Cost per store visit

Direction requests

Phone calls

Click-through rate (CTR)

Review these metrics weekly for the first month, then adjust to biweekly or monthly as your campaign stabilizes.