Updated: 07/08/2026
Google now offer paid advertising to feature st number 1 on Google My Business!
As you may be aware, Google My Business consisted of 3 place listings below the map. These 3 listings are normally achieved by organic methods, but Google announced at the recent SMX Event on June 21st 2016 that paid advertising was coming to the Google 3 Pack!
It allows us to be witty and 100% cooler than we really are to call it a 2pac like the young people do, but it has serious connotations as the 3 pack space has beed reduced by 33%.
Now, only 2 Google My Business listings will be shown and at the top will be a PAID advert.
No one is quite sure yet when they will start showing but it will happen – soon!
Does this affect your business?
You bet your sweet bippy!
This change mean that any business can become featured in the local pack just by paying their way to get there. So they claim the number 1 spot rather than the best organic search option.
The results will now show the business who pays for a similar keyword phrase but really is not local to you – and therefore not so relevant.
No matter that you are a good organisation, or have set up your Google My Business listing properly, and have optimised it for searches, you will not be number 1 unless you pay for Google Ads.
The problem is that the business who pays to be at the number 1 slot does not build up any “Google Love!” When the budget runs out the Ads will disappear from the listing and enquiries will stop.
People may also become “ad-blind”. They get so used to the Ads just like they do already to a certain extent with regular Google Ads (which show at the top and the right hand side of the page for search results).
Many people alreadty ignore the paid Ads as they are wise to the poor relevancy of many Ad listings. So they skip through to the organic listings instead.
So it’s more important than ever that you get your Google My Business in place ASAP.
That “digital real estate” below the map is about to become very expensive, so claiming place 2 and 3 is going to become harder in the future.
Do you need help with that? Have a look at our Google My Business pages and then get in touch and we’ll get the ball moving for you.
We’re nice like that!
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Right Click Digital
1 Bridge Chambers
Barnstaple
Devon
EX31 1HB
www.rightclickdigital.co.uk
Tel: 01271 523 586
