Google Local & Google Maps Add AdWords in Blue Balloons (Pins)
ClickZ and Search Engine Watch are reporting that Google Local is testing AdWords ads in their search results and those ads are being differentiated from the normal local search results via little blue balloons and a blue background. These tests may be regionally biased as niether Danny (who may be in England right now) nor Gary (who’s outside of DC) can see the blue balloons (which Danny calls pins).
On my end, I see the textual ads but not the blue pins. Neither does Gary. A search for pizza san francisco shows a text ad but no blue pins. A few other searches I did also showed sponsored ads but no pins.
Barry, a balloon man, is in New York and does see the pins (balloons) : “some people do a search on hotels new york in Google Local, and Google Maps comes up with blue balloons that represent the blue backgrounded sponsored results. Since I am in New York, I believe I can see it, here is a screen capture for you all.”
Barry was even nice enough to supply us all with a screenshot of the Google Local Blue AdWords. I’m in Japan right now and have done the search too, which is showing Google Local Sponsored Links in blue pins.
