--- title: "Google Maps Ads Statistics: 96% of Searches Show No Paid Pin" url: https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/google-maps-promoted-pins-ads description: "Google Maps ads statistics from 3,160 local searches: 96% show no promoted pin, while plumber searches show one 10.1% of the time. See the data." lang: en --- Share Share on X: https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.suffdigital.com%2Fresources%2Fdata-studies%2Fgoogle-maps-promoted-pins-ads&text=96%25%20of%20Google%20Maps%20Searches%20for%20Local%20Services%20Show%20No%20Paid%20Listings Share on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.suffdigital.com%2Fresources%2Fdata-studies%2Fgoogle-maps-promoted-pins-ads Share on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.suffdigital.com%2Fresources%2Fdata-studies%2Fgoogle-maps-promoted-pins-ads Share on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/submit?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.suffdigital.com%2Fresources%2Fdata-studies%2Fgoogle-maps-promoted-pins-ads&title=96%25%20of%20Google%20Maps%20Searches%20for%20Local%20Services%20Show%20No%20Paid%20Listings **96%** of Google Maps searches for local services show no paid listing at all; 4.1% show at least one promoted pin. Plumber searches show paid pins most often, on 10.1% of searches, and accountant searches least, on 0.6%. Analysis of 3,160 Google Maps searches for 20 local services in 79 US cities · Google Maps results, September 23, 2026 ## Key Findings 1. 1. **96%** of Google Maps searches for local services show no paid listing; 4.1% show at least one promoted pin. Copy stat 2. 2. Google Maps searches for plumbers show a promoted pin **10.1%** of the time, the most of 20 local services, followed by chiropractors (7%) and roofers (5.7%). Copy stat 3. 3. Google Maps searches for accountants show a promoted pin **0.6%** of the time, the lowest of 20 local services, and restaurant searches 1.3%. Copy stat 4. 4. Google Maps searches that include "near me" show a promoted pin **3.4%** of the time, against 4.7% for the same searches without it. Copy stat 5. 5. Google Maps searches in large cities show promoted pins **4.2%** of the time and in small towns 3.8%, almost the same rate. Copy stat ## Summary Someone with a leaking pipe opens Google Maps and searches for a plumber. The map fills with pins and a list of local businesses, ranked by Google. On most searches, not one of those listings has been paid for: the businesses at the top earned their place. That matters for how a local business spends its marketing money. Promoted pins are the paid listings Google can show on Maps, marked as sponsored. If they appear on few searches, the map is still mostly won through the free Google Business Profile, reviews and location, not ad spend. **96%** of Google Maps searches for local services show no paid listing at all. Even plumbers, the most advertised of 20 services, see a promoted pin on 10.1% of searches, which leaves nine in ten plumber searches with no ad on the map. ## What we measured On September 23, 2026 we ran Google Maps searches for 20 local services, such as plumber, dentist and personal injury lawyer, in 79 US cities: 50 large cities and 29 small ones. Each service and city was searched twice, once with "near me" and once without, giving 3,160 searches, and we captured the top 100 results of each. A promoted pin is a paid listing on Google Maps, labeled as sponsored, that an advertiser buys through Google Ads. A search counts as showing ads when at least one promoted pin appears in its results. The Google Business Profile is the free listing, with reviews, hours and photos, that makes up the rest of the map. ## Paid pins appear on 4% of map searches 96% of Google Maps searches for local services show no paid listing. 129 of the 3,160 searches, 4.1%, showed at least one promoted pin. When pins did appear, there were few of them: 219 sponsored listings across those 129 searches, 1.7 per search. On a map that shows up to 100 businesses, one or two paid listings are a small share of what a searcher sees. Every one of the 20 services had at least one sponsored listing somewhere, so paid pins are available to all of them. Few businesses buy them, which leaves the local map mostly to organic rankings. ## Plumbers see promoted pins most often Plumber searches showed a promoted pin 10.1% of the time, the highest of the 20 services. Chiropractors follow at 7% and roofers at 5.7%, then a group at 5.1%: auto repair shops, HVAC companies, dentists and personal injury lawyers. These are services where one customer is worth hundreds or thousands of dollars, so a paid pin can pay for itself. | Service | Maps searches with a promoted pin | | --- | --- | | Plumber | 10.1% | | Chiropractor | 7% | | Roofer | 5.7% | | Auto repair shop | 5.1% | | HVAC company | 5.1% | | Dentist | 5.1% | | Personal injury lawyer | 5.1% | | Landscaper | 4.4% | | Emergency plumber | 4.4% | | Electrician | 4.4% | | Real estate agent | 3.8% | | Gym | 3.8% | | Hair salon | 3.2% | | Pest control | 3.2% | | House cleaning service | 3.2% | | Restaurant | 1.3% | | Accountant | 0.6% | At the other end, restaurants (1.3%) and accountants (0.6%) rarely showed paid pins. For an accountant, a paid Maps listing is almost unheard of; for a plumber, it is still absent from nine searches in ten. ## "Near me" and city size barely change the rate Searches with "near me" showed promoted pins slightly less often, 3.4% of the time, than the same searches without it, at 4.7%. People who add "near me" are often ready to call, but that has not drawn more advertisers onto the map. City size mattered even less. Large cities came in at 4.2% and small towns at 3.8%, so paid Maps competition is not concentrated in big markets. A business in a small town faces about the same chance of a paid rival on the map as one in a major city. Maps searches with a promoted pin by search type All map searches 4.1% Without "near me" 4.7% With "near me" 3.4% Large cities 4.2% Small cities 3.8% Source: Suff Digital analysis of 3,160 Google Maps searches for 20 local services in 79 US cities · Google Maps results, September 23, 2026 ## What this means for local service businesses If you are choosing between Maps ads and improving your Google Business Profile, the profile comes first. With paid pins on 4.1% of map searches, the local results are earned through the right categories, a steady flow of reviews, real photos and accurate hours. Every improvement there shows on the 96% of searches with no ad. If you are a plumber, roofer or chiropractor, expect more paid competition on Maps than other trades. Promoted pins and Local Services Ads can still make sense once your profile is strong, because a paid pin next to a thin profile wastes the click. Our local seo packages (https://www.suffdigital.com/seo/local-seo-services) build the profile, reviews and local pages first, then add paid Maps placements where the numbers support them. ## Embed this research Paste this on your site to embed the charts. It links back to the source automatically.

Source: 96% of Google Maps Searches for Local Services Show No Paid Listings - Suff Digital

## Cite this study APA Suff Digital. (2026). 96% of Google Maps Searches for Local Services Show No Paid Listings. https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/google-maps-promoted-pins-ads Plain link 96% of Google Maps Searches for Local Services Show No Paid Listings - Suff Digital - https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/google-maps-promoted-pins-ads ## Frequently asked questions ### How often does Google Maps show ads? ### Which local businesses see the most Google Maps ads? ### Do "near me" searches show more Google Maps ads? ### How many paid listings appear on a Google Maps search? ## Related studies - PPC Plumbers in Arizona Pay 115% More per Google Ads Click Than the National Price: https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/plumbing-google-ads-cpc - PPC Personal Injury Lawyers Pay $195.73 per Google Ads Click vs $1.68 for Auto Dealers: https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/google-ads-cost-per-click-industry - PPC 83% of Top Search Ads Show Sitelinks vs 29% With a Number in the Headline: https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/what-top-search-ads-do - PPC Google Ads Clicks Cost 24% More in Colorado Than the National Average: https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/google-ads-cpc-by-state ## Structured data ```json [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://www.suffdigital.com/#organization", "name": "Suff Digital", "alternateName": "Suff Digital Marketing", "url": "https://www.suffdigital.com/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://www.suffdigital.com/#logo", "url": "https://www.suffdigital.com/logo.png", "contentUrl": "https://www.suffdigital.com/logo.png", "caption": "Suff Digital" }, "image": { "@id": "https://www.suffdigital.com/#logo" }, "description": "Suff Digital is a full-stack digital marketing agency that turns websites into predictable revenue engines, SEO, paid media, content, CRO, and web design built around revenue, not vanity metrics.", "slogan": "Digital marketing built for what's next.", "email": "hello@suffdigital.com", "telephone": "+1-629-236-0099", "foundingDate": "2022", "founder": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Matt Suffoletto", "jobTitle": "Founder & CEO" }, "contactPoint": [ { "@type": "ContactPoint", "telephone": "+1-629-236-0099", "email": "hello@suffdigital.com", "contactType": "sales", "areaServed": "US", "availableLanguage": [ "en" ] } ], "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "addressLocality": "Nashville", "addressRegion": "TN", "postalCode": "37219", "addressCountry": "US" }, "areaServed": { "@type": "Country", "name": "United States" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.linkedin.com/company/suff-digital/", "https://www.instagram.com/suffdigital/", "https://www.youtube.com/@suffdigitalmarketing", "https://www.tiktok.com/@suffdigital" ], "knowsAbout": [ "Search Engine Optimization", "Pay-Per-Click Advertising", "Paid Social Advertising", "Conversion Rate Optimization", "Web Design", "Digital PR", "Link Building", "Website Migration", "Website Maintenance and Support", "Technical SEO", "Local SEO", "AI Search Optimization" ], "hasOfferCatalog": { "@type": "OfferCatalog", "name": "Suff Digital Services", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "Offer", "itemOffered": { "@type": "Service", "name": "Search Engine Optimization (SEO)", "url": "https://www.suffdigital.com/" } }, { "@type": "Offer", "itemOffered": { "@type": "Service", "name": "Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising", "url": "https://www.suffdigital.com/services/ppc" } }, { "@type": "Offer", "itemOffered": { "@type": "Service", "name": "Paid Social Advertising", "url": "https://www.suffdigital.com/services/paid-social" } }, { "@type": "Offer", "itemOffered": { "@type": "Service", "name": "Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)", "url": "https://www.suffdigital.com/services/cro" } }, { "@type": "Offer", "itemOffered": { "@type": "Service", "name": "Web Design", "url": "https://www.suffdigital.com/services/web-design" } }, { "@type": "Offer", "itemOffered": { "@type": "Service", "name": "Digital PR & Link Building", "url": "https://www.suffdigital.com/services/digital-pr" } }, { "@type": "Offer", "itemOffered": { "@type": "Service", "name": "Website Migration", "url": "https://www.suffdigital.com/services/website-migration" } }, { "@type": "Offer", "itemOffered": { "@type": "Service", "name": "Website Maintenance & Support", "url": "https://www.suffdigital.com/services/website-maintenance" } } ] } }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://www.suffdigital.com/#website", "url": "https://www.suffdigital.com/", "name": "Suff Digital", "inLanguage": "en-US", "publisher": { "@id": "https://www.suffdigital.com/#organization" } } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Article", "@id": "https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/google-maps-promoted-pins-ads#article", "headline": "96% of Google Maps Searches for Local Services Show No Paid Listings", "description": "96% of Google Maps searches for local services show no paid listing at all; 4.1% show at least one promoted pin. Plumber searches show paid pins most often, on 10.1% of searches, and accountant searches least, on 0.6%.", "image": [ "https://www.suffdigital.com/images/suff-digital-share-16x9.jpg" ], "url": "https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/google-maps-promoted-pins-ads", "datePublished": "2026-09-24", "dateModified": "2026-09-24", "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Matt Suffoletto", "jobTitle": "Founder & CEO", "url": "https://www.suffdigital.com/who-we-are" }, "publisher": { "@id": "https://www.suffdigital.com/#organization" }, "mainEntityOfPage": { "@id": "https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/google-maps-promoted-pins-ads", "@type": "WebPage" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://www.suffdigital.com/#website" } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/google-maps-promoted-pins-ads#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://www.suffdigital.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Resources", "item": "https://www.suffdigital.com/resources" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Data Studies", "item": "https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "96% of Google Maps Searches for Local Services Show No Paid Listings" } ] }, { "@type": "Dataset", "@id": "https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/google-maps-promoted-pins-ads#dataset", "name": "96% of Google Maps Searches for Local Services Show No Paid Listings", "description": "96% of Google Maps searches for local services show no paid listing at all; 4.1% show at least one promoted pin. Plumber searches show paid pins most often, on 10.1% of searches, and accountant searches least, on 0.6%.", "url": "https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/google-maps-promoted-pins-ads", "creator": { "@id": "https://www.suffdigital.com/#organization" }, "datePublished": "2026-09-24", "dateModified": "2026-09-24", "license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "isAccessibleForFree": true, "measurementTechnique": "Google Maps results pages (desktop)" }, { "@type": "FAQPage", "@id": "https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/google-maps-promoted-pins-ads#faq", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "How often does Google Maps show ads?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "4.1% of Google Maps searches for local services show at least one promoted pin, and 96% show no paid listing at all (September 2026)." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Which local businesses see the most Google Maps ads?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Plumbers. Google Maps searches for plumbers show a promoted pin 10.1% of the time, followed by chiropractors (7%) and roofers (5.7%)." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Do \"near me\" searches show more Google Maps ads?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "No. Google Maps searches with \"near me\" show a promoted pin 3.4% of the time, against 4.7% for the same searches without it." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "How many paid listings appear on a Google Maps search?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Google Maps searches that show ads carry 1.7 promoted pins on average." } } ] } ] } ] ```