Google has been reluctant to put local ads into their well loved application Google Maps, but that may be changing very soon now. Advertising from local merchants has been a strong source of revenue for Google and the popularity of Google Maps makes it a good match for increasing this revenue.
According to Google, approximately 1/3 of all searches on mobile devices are related to location, and this metric is growing faster than any other type of search, about 50% faster in fact.
Google intends to put in "promoted pins" in their search results, showing local businesses that may be related to your search. So if you look for the location of one business, another one which has paid for advertising might also show up on your map, with a little flag to show where it is, and even a small space for an ad of some product that they sell.
One thing they are not doing as yet, is combining your location history with ads. This apparently is crossing a line on privacy, what little is left to those who use mobile apps.
When asked if there will be a way to turn off the promoted ads within Google Maps, Jerry Dischler, Google's search ads VP said no, "We’re not planning on that currently."
You can read more on the story at Recode.
