The question was posed: Does having a Google My Business (GMB) account help Google Ads pay-per-click (PPC) performance?
I researched this quite a bit and was unable to find any evidence that having a GMB account provides any quantified uplift to an advertiser’s PPC account. There is no Quality Score boost for simply having a GMB listing. But that’s not the whole story.
Having a GMB account linked to a Google Ads account does, in fact, allow the advertiser to utilize five features they otherwise would not have access to.
1. Location Extensions
Having a GMB listing allows advertisers to use location extensions, those addresses that appear in text ads:
Not only does the address allow the user to determine the business location, but it also gives the ad an extra line of space on the search engine results page (SERP). And the only way to set up a location extension is to link a GMB account to the Google Ads account.
2. Local Pack
Another benefit to having a GMB account when running a PPC campaign is that ads are eligible to run in the Local Pack. On the SERP, Google includes up to three listings below the map, in between the paid and organic results. When running a paid campaign with a GMB account linked, a paid listing is eligible to run above the other three organic listings:
This provides a second paid opportunity on the SERP as the text ad is eligible to run on the same results page as the GMB information, increasing your advertising presence.
3. Local Campaigns
The third benefit of GMB listings to advertisers is the ability to use local campaigns in Google Ads. Local campaigns utilize machine learning to promote offline business goals and maximize in-store value by measuring store visits, call clicks, and direction clicks. With only a few lines of text, some images, and a budget, Google serves these ads across Search, Google Maps, the Google Display Network, and YouTube.
4. Customer Reviews
Another important GMB perk is the ability to collect online customer reviews that can be added as an extension and shown alongside your ad.
It’s important to keep an eye on GMB reviews and make sure customer satisfaction remains high. One study found that PPC conversion rates can be impacted by GMB ratings. Accounts with ratings below 3.5 stars had average conversion rates of around 3% while accounts with ratings around 4.5 stars enjoyed conversion rates that were over 4%.
This same study also found businesses that replied frequently to their reviews saw a 30% higher conversion rate than businesses that replied less frequently.
5. Keyword Mining
The final benefit of having a GMB account is the fact that it can be used to mine for new paid search keywords.
Under Insights, which is currently transitioning to Profile Performance, is a list of search terms that triggered the GMB listing to appear in the results. Not many of these keywords will be appropriate for adding to a PPC campaign, but there may be some gems that can be added to your marketing mix.
A Google My Business listing can take a PPC account to the next level. In order to capitalize on the power of GMB, make sure the listing is created, linked, and optimized. Remember to ask for GMB reviews often and reply to those reviews just as often. Your next big sale could be peeking right around the GMB corner.
