Mobile advertising is a large and rapidly growing chunk of Google’s arena, especially thanks to the company’s work with the Android platform. While much of the ad space is taken by Ad Mob–related, interactive ads on applications and similar mediums, Google Search itself gets plenty of traffic. To help local businesses connect with mobile users when they’re nearby, Google has released two product extensions for mobile.
The product extensions in question, “Product Extension Ads” and “Product Local Ads,” have been available on the desktop version of AdWords for some time. The new implementation, however, allows for and optimizes the contained data in the mobile platform. Additionally, users who opt-in to have their current location shared with Google will receive advertisements for local availability of products based on which stores are nearby and have the products in stock.
Here’s a more in-depth description of each extension:
Product Extension Ads allow you to show a picture of your product, its title, and the price you’re asking for it in the search results alongside your ad.
Product Local Ads let you show what items you currently have in stock, assuring customers of availability.
In either case, the extensions function by connecting your Google Merchant Center account and information with Google AdWords. In addition to registering for those two services, groups who want to use Product Local Ads will need to apply for the use of the extension, since it is currently in a limited beta stage.
With 79% of smartphone users turning to their phone for help when they’re out shopping, webmasters would do well to pay attention to these new mobile extensions.
[via the Google Mobile Ads Blog]
