Google just announced "Ask Maps", which is a new feature in Google Maps that leverages Gemini to help users research local businesses, plan trips, get recommendations, and more. I've had to the opportunity to test "Ask Maps" over the past week and it's powerful. I was also able to get on a call with the Gemini team to ask questions about the feature, where it's headed, if ads are coming, and more. You can read my post about "Ask Maps" to see examples of the feature in action and to learn more about what I think.
"Ask Maps" is rolling out today to users in the U.S. and India in the Google Maps app (both Android and iOS are supported with the rollout). And desktop is coming soon according to the post.
Here is a gif of the feature in action. This was provided to me by Google during my week of testing:
Some additional notes: With the initial rollout, ads are not part of "Ask Maps" yet. I was told that's not part of the feature at this stage but they are not ruling that out. To me, it's a logical and smart place for local ads to show up, so I'm sure we will see that at some point.
Tracking-wise, I was told standard maps impressions apply. So I'm assuming that will show up in GBP reporting, but will not be broken out (at least yet). It would be great to see "Ask Maps" show up as a new surface there in GBP... Stay tuned on that front.
If Local Search is important for your business, then I highly recommend digging in soon to see how your business shows up, what customer sentiment looks like, and how your overall listings look while part of the AI response.
GG
