April 09, 2026 • SEL • Good to Know*
2026-04-09 • SEL • Good to Know
What Happened
Google is testing a swipeable location carousel in search ads — a new format that lets users browse multiple business locations within a single ad unit by swiping horizontally. Instead of clicking through to a locations page, users can scroll through nearby options with ratings, distance, and business details all visible in the carousel.
For multi-location businesses in competitive markets, this changes the ad landscape. A single ad placement now showcases several locations simultaneously, increasing the real estate your Google Ads budget buys. But it also means more competition within the carousel — every location is fighting for the swipe.
Key Takeaways
- More real estate per ad spend. One ad placement can now show multiple locations. For businesses running location-based campaigns, this is an efficiency gain — if your locations look good in the carousel.
- Proximity and ratings drive the swipe. The carousel format highlights distance and reviews prominently. A 4.2-star location 2 km away will likely get swiped past for a 4.8-star location 3 km away. Quality signals matter more in a swipeable format.
- Single-location businesses face new competition. If you're the only location in your ad group, you're now competing against carousels showing 3-5 locations from a competitor. That's a visibility disadvantage.
- This is still a test. Google tests many ad formats that never reach general availability. Monitor it, but don't restructure your entire campaign strategy yet.
The ONmetrics Take
For London, Ontario businesses with multiple locations — or those competing against multi-location chains — this test is worth watching closely.
What to do right now:
1. Clean up your Google Business Profile/)s. Every location in the carousel pulls from your GBP data. Inconsistent hours, missing photos, or thin descriptions will kill your carousel performance before it starts.
2. Monitor your location extensions. If you're running Google Ads with location extensions, check that all locations are properly linked and displaying correctly. The carousel will only show what your extensions provide.
3. Watch your CTR data. If the carousel rolls out broadly, you'll see it in your click-through rate changes. Track location-level performance weekly so you can react quickly.
4. Don't over-invest yet. This is a test, not a launch. Prepare your data quality now, but hold major budget shifts until Google confirms general availability.
The bottom line: The swipeable carousel rewards businesses with clean data and strong reviews across all locations. If your GBP profiles aren't consistent, fix that first — it's the highest-ROI move regardless of whether this test ships.
Source: SEL