Google today announced new location-aware mobile display ads for both iPhone and Android devices, introducing iAd-like expandable ad-units that incorporate maps for click-to-call and other rich functionality.
Advertisers will be able to check a “location extension for display” box and their ads will become geo-enabled when viewed in mobile browsers or apps. It works by including a small double-arrow in the ad-unit, that when touched, expands into a full ad that includes a map overlay with the business pinned on a Google Map. In addition, the map overlay includes two large calls-to-action for “get directions” and “click-to-call.”
Google has experimented with these types of ad-units before, with pretty good results so far. The company has said that mobile ads that offer a location generally see an average 8 percent increase in click-through rates over plain-vanilla mobile ads, and click-to-call mobile ads see a 6 percent increase in clicks.
In other Google-related news, Pingdom came out with some interesting mobile search market share stats today that show Google with a commanding lead in the mobile search game — as in nearly 100% of the entire market. Google now stands at 98.29% of the market, with it’s closest competitor Yahoo coming in at a measly .81% share.