In short: Apple Maps advertising offers a valuable new way for multi-location brands to capture local search intent, but it isn’t a direct replacement for Google Maps.

The launch of Apple Maps advertising gives brands another way to reach nearby customers at the moment they’re deciding where to go. But the platform differs from Google Maps in how campaigns are purchased, measured, and optimised.

Learn how Apple Maps advertising works, how it compares with Google Maps, and what marketers should consider before investing.

The launch of advertising in Apple Maps has attracted significant attention from brands with bricks-and-mortar locations. The appeal is easy to understand: map users frequently have immediate, location-based intent, making the environment a natural place for businesses to promote nearby stores, branches, restaurants, service centres and other physical destinations.

Maps advertising itself is not new, however, and many advertisers already reach local audiences through Google Maps and related Google products. Although the basic proposition may appear straightforward—show a promoted location when someone searches nearby—the platforms differ meaningfully in how their ads appear, how campaigns are purchased and, most importantly, how performance can be measured. Advertisers should understand these nuances before treating Apple Maps as a direct substitute for Google Maps.

What is Apple Maps advertising?

Apple Maps advertising is a location-based advertising product that allows businesses to promote physical locations within Apple Maps when users search for nearby businesses. It’s designed to capture existing local intent rather than generate broad brand awareness.

Apple Maps ads are expected to offer two primary placements: sponsored listings within search results and sponsored recommendations within the Recommended Places experience.

Apple Maps ad placement example

Once a user selects the listing, the experience will direct them to the business’s place card, where they may be able to call, visit the website, or request directions, which is all very standard and familiar to users across various maps platforms.

Apple Maps advertising is primarily a lower-funnel channel that captures existing local search intent rather than creating new demand. It can help a business become more visible at the moment a potential customer is deciding where to go, but it is not designed to generate broad awareness among people who are not already expressing an interest in the category. While this is natural for map tactics, it’s an important distinction as we compare Apple Maps to Google’s capabilities.

Available creative options are also likely to be relatively limited. Rather than supporting multiple headlines and detailed descriptions, Apple Maps ads will focus on the promoted location and a short call to action. The location listing itself—including its name, category, address, imagery, hours, and other business information—will therefore play an important role in the overall experience.

How will advertising on Apple Maps differ from Google Maps?

As Apple Maps advertising launches and matures, advertisers will need to understand how it differs from Google Maps—not only in appearance, but also in how inventory is purchased, controlled, and measured.

Overall, Google offers broader scale, more creative flexibility, and more mature visit measurement. Apple provides a more controlled Maps-only environment and access to Apple Maps users at a highly relevant point in the customer journey.

For many multi-location advertisers, Apple Maps should not be viewed as a direct replacement for Google Maps. The stronger approach is to assign each platform a role based on its audience, measurement capabilities, and contribution to broader local marketing objectives.

Choosing between Google Maps and Apple Maps

Apple Maps may also help brands reach a valuable segment of iPhone users. Research has consistently shown that iPhone ownership skews towards higher-income consumers, although advertisers should ultimately base channel selection on audience behaviour and campaign objectives.

On the other hand, app usage, campaign KPIs, advertisers’ attribution, and measurement capabilities are important factors to take into consideration when selecting the media channels.

When deciding how to allocate investment between Google Maps and Apple Maps, advertisers should consider:

• Campaign objective: Google Maps may be better suited to campaigns focused on driving and optimising towards confirmed location visits, while Apple Maps is more appropriate for capturing active local search intent.
• Measurement requirements and capabilities: Advertisers should determine whether calls, website clicks, and direction requests are sufficient performance indicators or whether visit reporting is essential. They should also consider if they can measure footfall and the subsequent lift provided by Apple Maps campaigns via first-party data or third-party tools.
• Audience and platform usage: The preferred map applications of the target audience should influence channel selection and budget allocation. While Google Maps is the primary map product for both Android and iPhone users, behaviours can vary over time and within different audiences.
• Market competition: Apple Maps may provide incremental value in locations where competitors are highly visible or actively investing in paid map placements. Early adoption can help advertisers get ahead of the competition.

For many advertisers, the strongest strategy is assigning each platform a role based on its strengths rather than choosing one over the other.

Why local presence optimisation matters before advertising

Choosing the right advertising platform is only part of the equation. Before investing in Apple Maps advertising, brands should ensure their local presence is fully optimised. Even the best campaign can struggle if it sends potential customers to an incomplete, outdated, or poorly reviewed business listing.

Apple Maps ads are closely tied to Apple Business Connect place cards, making listing quality a key part of campaign performance. Accurate business information, current hours, high-quality photos, a cover image, and a recognisable logo all help create a stronger first impression when users discover your business through Maps.

Brands should also take advantage of showcases, Apple Business Connect’s promotional feature that allows businesses to highlight limited-time offers, seasonal promotions, new products, or other timely updates directly on their place cards. These updates can make listings more engaging and give potential customers another reason to choose your location.

Reputation is just as important as media investment. Driving paid traffic to a location with a poor rating on Apple Maps or Yelp is unlikely to maximise return on investment. Strong reviews, complete business information, and compelling place cards help convert local intent into customer action—allowing advertising and organic local presence to work together rather than independently.

How should marketers measure Apple Maps campaigns?

Because Apple Maps doesn’t currently report confirmed store visits in the same way Google can for eligible campaigns, advertisers should define success before launching campaigns. Depending on campaign objectives, direction requests, website visits, and phone calls may all serve as meaningful performance indicators. Brands with access to first-party sales data or third-party measurement solutions can also evaluate whether Apple Maps advertising contributes to incremental visits, revenue, or other business outcomes.

Can Apple Maps advertising replace Google Maps advertising?

Not for most advertisers. Apple Maps provides a dedicated way to reach users searching within the Apple ecosystem, while Google Maps offers broader reach, more advertising formats, and more advanced location-visit measurement. For many multi-location brands, the best strategy is to use each platform where it delivers the greatest value rather than treating one as a replacement for the other.

What marketers should do now

Apple Maps advertising gives brands another opportunity to capture high-intent local searches, but success depends on more than simply buying ads. Advertisers should evaluate how Apple Maps fits alongside Google Maps, build campaigns around meaningful business outcomes, and ensure their local presence is optimised before investing. The strongest results come from treating local listings and location-based advertising as complementary parts of the same strategy.

At DAC, we help multi-location brands align organic local presence optimisation with location-based advertising to maximise performance across Apple Maps, Google Maps, and other local discovery platforms.

Whether you’re looking to improve your Apple Business Connect listings, strengthen your local reputation, or launch high-performing Apple Maps campaigns, contact DAC to develop a strategy that ensures your local presence and advertising work together to drive measurable results.