Google recently commissioned a research to learn about surfers’ local search behavior (when they’re trying to find nearby services or places). The research conducted on more than 5000 participants who voluntarily completed an online survey.
The results show that 4 out of 5 consumers want search ads to be customized to their location, by city, zip code or immediate surroundings. Users expect search ads to be relevant to their context and location, and prefer ads that are customized to where they are when searching.
Also, more than 60% of consumers participated in the survey used ads with location information such as address, directions or map, phone number or a click-to-call button. In addition, more than 70% of consumers who have used this location information in ads said that this information is important and very useful. In fact, 72% of consumers who searched for local information visited a store within 5 miles.
For advertisers, this means that they should think not only about consumers’ intent, but also their context. Consumers are more interested in ads that are customized to their city, zip code or immediate surroundings. Adding an ad strategy that accounts for consumers’ context and location will be very beneficial for advertisers.