Advertising
Google is testing more local service ads per search result set, with three ads on a page instead of two.
Ginny Marvin, Head of Ads at Google, confirms the test saying that the goal is to increase consumer confidence in LSAs:
To confirm, this is an experiment. We are running a small test to see the benefit for consumers and providers of providing an additional service provider in the local services ad unit. The goal is to help consumers discover and confidently book the services of trusted providers.
— AdsLiaison (@adsliaison) July 26, 2022
Google’s experiment is the opposite of what is expected, as it draws more attention to the persistent problem of LSA spam.
Advertising
Google increases LSAs to three per page
The addition of another ad unit has the potential to be a positive change for businesses advertising their services on Google.
However, this makes Google LSA spam trickier.
As noted in replies to Marvin’s tweet, there are several issues with local service announcements right now. As:
- Ads for fake companies
- Ads for business profiles with fake reviews
- Ads for business profiles disabled
Since each of these ad packs promises to be “filtered by Google”, there must be a quality assurance gap somewhere.
The spam problem is huge and I will cover it in detail in the near future. I am 🤯 LSA ads displayed for advertisers even AFTER associated/required GBP page is suspended for spam.
LSA should:
1- Suspend advertisements in the event of a suspension of the pound sterling
2- Accept (and act on) spam reports—Len 🌴 (@lenraleigh) July 26, 2022
Marvin assures advertisers that Google takes these reports seriously:
“We are committed to ensuring that the LSA unit provides a trusted experience for users and service providers. We have taken your reports seriously and are continuing to work on them. »
Hopefully Google can reduce the number of spammy LSAs before they erode consumer confidence in the ad unit.
For legitimate businesses that use LSAs to promote their services, this test means a higher chance of your ad appearing on Google’s homepage.
If you notice scam ads appearing next to yours, use the report option to let Google know.
Featured Image: Andrey_Popov/Shutterstock
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