Thread: Google To Begin Charging For Directions Location Extensions

Google announced they will begin charging for searchers clicking on the directions of the location extensions found on some AdWords ads.
Location extensions add an address and phone number to your Google AdWords ads. In the past, clicking on a phone number via your mobile phone to call the advertiser or clicking on an address to bring up directions to the advertiser cost that advertiser nothing. Yes, clicking on the phone number was one thing Google eventually started charging for but not for driving directions. That is changing.
Google said they will “begin to charge for clicks on directions in the same manner as clicks on your ad’s headline or phone number.” Google then warned advertisers that if they are using location extensions and you do not want to be charged for clicks on driving directions, remove the location extensions. They also warned, “if your campaign has a high number of these clicks, this indicates that your customers are interacting with your ads to get directions to your business.”

Google To Begin Charging For Directions Location Extensions

When I see that it just makes me laugh about how good Google is in advertising

Like we recently see with Google, everytime they offer a feature for free, sooner or later it becomes a fee base option.

What do you think about this mind set? Do you think it is a good strategy?

Make people absolutely depend on your service and then introduce a payment model...Chances are, they'll still use it.

It was only time until Google started charging for this. It's part of an AdWords ad and they gave it away for free--I expected them to start charging at some point. Same with phone numbers, as well.