About a month ago, I spotted a new ad format in the Google Search results that had this local pack vibe. I shared it around, seeing if anyone else would notice it but I didn't hear back. The new ad format looks like a local result but has a sponsored label.
Anthony Higman first posted a screenshot of this on Twitter, here is that screenshot:
Then Mike Blumenthal yesterday posted on Twitter a similar variant to that sponsored local pack ad:
Glenn Gabe replied that he thinks those are Google home service ads but it is hard to know for sure. Glenn said you can tell by looking at the click-through URL parameters.
The 3 dots for a HSA ad reference the badge, screening, etc. There's been a huge push for all advertisers to get verified over the past year. This is an abs top impression in a regular search campaign with a location extension qualifying for the map pack. This is not new.
— David Kyle | davidkyle.x (@DavidKyle) August 1, 2023
Have you seen these ads before?
Update: Google's Ginny Marvin said that these are Local Ads.
Hi Mike, These are Local Ads. Local Campaigns have migrated to Performance Max and this Help Center page will be updated soon to reflect the shift to PMax, but it has more information about the formats and how they work https://t.co/yOoLGj67Ha.
— AdsLiaison (@adsliaison) August 8, 2023
Update 2: Here is another weird local ad format from @coreyofthemtn:
