Google Maps Ads Just Got a Game-Changing Upgrade—Here’s What It Means for Your Business

Ever catch yourself endlessly scrolling through Google Maps, hunting for that perfect spot, only to wonder—could there be a slicker way for brands to pop up and grab your attention without being annoying? Well, it looks like Google’s answers just arrived—with a fresh ad format flaunting scrollable, light blue sitelinks right beneath those familiar promoted pins. Imagine getting way more clickable options right inside Maps, without hopping off the app. It’s like turning “just browsing” into “let’s take action” in one seamless move. Google Ads pro Ginny Marvin confirmed this shiny new feature, making Maps ads act a bit more like Search ads by linking folks straight to specific website pages. And if you’re a marketer scratching your head thinking, “How do I get in on this?”—you’ll want to know you’ll need at least a couple of sitelinks ready to roll for both desktop and mobile, added at pretty much any campaign level you fancy. Local searches just got way more interesting. Could this be the nudge “near me” moments have been waiting for to convert into actual sales? I’d say, it’s a game changer—blurring lines and boosting ad flex for marketers everywhere. Curious to dive deeper? LEARN MORE.

Advertisers are spotting a fresh Google Maps ad format featuring scrollable light blue sitelinks beneath promoted pins. The new layout gives brands more clickable real estate directly inside Maps.

Update confirmed. Google Ads Liaison Ginny Marvin confirmed the rollout, saying the feature is now fully launched. The update allows sitelinks — already common in Search ads — to appear in Maps ads, linking users to specific pages on an advertiser’s website.

How it works. These sitelinks can show from Search or Performance Max (PMax) campaigns.

To enable them you’ll need at least two sitelinks for both desktop and mobile.

• Sitelinks can be added at the account, campaign, asset group, or ad group level.

Why we care. Maps has long been a high-intent environment for local and in-person searches. Adding sitelinks turns those “near me” moments into deeper engagement — and potentially higher conversions — without requiring users to leave Maps.

The bottom line. Google continues to blur the lines between Search and Maps ad experiences, giving marketers more flexibility to guide users straight from discovery to action.

First seen. This update was first noted by Founder & CEO at ADSQUIRE, Anthony Higman on X

Search Engine Land is owned by Semrush. We remain committed to providing high-quality coverage of marketing topics. Unless otherwise noted, this page’s content was written by either an employee or a paid contractor of Semrush Inc.

About the Author

Anu Adegbola has been Paid Media Editor of Search Engine Land since 2024. She covers paid search, paid social, retail media, video and more. In 2008, Anu’s career started with delivering digital marketing campaigns (mostly but not exclusively Paid Search) by building strategies, maximising ROI, automating repetitive processes and bringing efficiency from every part of marketing departments through inspiring leadership both on agency, client and marketing tech side. Outside editing Search Engine Land article she is the founder of PPC networking event – PPC Live and host of weekly podcast PPC Live The Podcast.
She is also an international speaker with some of the stages she has presented on being SMX (US, UK, Munich, Berlin), Friends of Search (Amsterdam, NL), brightonSEO, The Marketing Meetup, HeroConf (PPC Hero), SearchLove, BiddableWorld, SESLondon, PPC Chat Live, AdWorld Experience (Bologna, IT) and more.