Narrated by Clubic, Google is testing a system of custom icons and coin traders representatives on the plans of Google Maps

The advantage is that, for a fee, businesses could display a logo at the location of their shop rather than the generic icon usually displayed. So it’s a system freemium pure and simple, providing better visibility for companies willing to pay, but without penalizing those who do not pay. On the screenshot above (which is edited to display three logos but you can see the original here), we can see that Google has made an enormous effort to reference a maximum of traders, which makes map Google Maps along with a map full of information, but also visually charged enough. This is where the service becomes important: visually, Google offers a way out of any company in its map, a bit like an advertising Adsense, which would put forward such a result in relation to others.

Location-based search, an untapped gold mine

Let’s not forget one thing: the gold mine of tomorrow is likely to find in the localization of research and advertising (which, when they are located, are potentially more personalized). Google has realized that it’s in there he had to invest, especially in terms of advertising system. Google has probably anticipated a gradual rise but continues his search through Google Maps Mobile, and therefore expects that the search for shops or stores “in the vicinity” will be very popular, as many advertisers as the general public.

Indeed: the user will win a really practical information as close to him, and therefore consumes very quickly (if he tries to find a gas station close to its current location, it will be very glad that Google will find the station nearest close), and advertisers will be more pleased that Google will offer personalization potentially much higher than that currently used (if the user has three petrol stations close to its current location, it is likely that the stations Gasoline compete very expensive advertising that will guide the user to a particular station!). (more…)