Many of you use location extensions to automatically show your business address and other information in your ads on Google. These ads also show directions to your business location, along with your address and phone number. By clicking on the directions, potential customers can map the quickest route from their location to your business.

We’ve observed that location extensions with directions are beneficial to users and lead to more interactions with your ads. In January, we launched a report in AdWords to help you measure these useful interactions.

Over the next few weeks, you’ll see performance metrics for directions alongside those for clicks and phone calls. We’ll also begin to charge for clicks on directions in the same manner as clicks on your ad’s headline or phone number. 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.

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Below are some answers to a few questions that you may have as a result of this change:

Where will I see performance metrics for clicks on directions?

You can see the number of clicks on directions in the same place as your other click metrics (select Segment, then Click type from your summary tables). You can review the performance of these clicks to determine if they're helping you meet your marketing goals.

How will directions appear in ads on desktop and mobile devices?

For AdWords campaigns with location extensions enabled, a “Directions” link will be eligible to appear in your ads and sponsored Google Maps info windows on desktops.

On mobile search ads, a “Get directions using Google Maps?” pop-up will appear when the user clicks on the expandable map. Clicking on “OK” in the pop-up allows users to get directions to your business.

Where can I see the past performance of clicks on directions?

For a report, select the Free clicks view within the Dimensions tab of your AdWords account. If you don't see the Dimensions tab in your account, click on the arrow button next to the existing tabs above your performance table, and select it in the dropdown menu.

I don't want to pay for clicks on directions. How can I opt out?

You can do this by removing the location extensions associated with your campaign. However, location extensions provide valuable information to local customers about your business, so we encourage you to carefully analyze your campaign performance before doing so.

To learn more about location extensions and directions in ads, please see the location extensions overview section of the Help Center.

Posted by Lisa Shieh, Inside AdWords crew