Need a plumber? Google's on it

Google

Google has starting testing ads in the San Francisco area that can connect you directly with a qualified home service provider.

Currently, if you're in the area that is being tested and you search for a plumber or a locksmith, a selection of different professionals will appear with a photo, a rating, a link to their profile and a contact number at the top of the search page.

Google says it will provide an easier way for you to connect with qualified home service professionals in your area.

"Traditional ads point to websites, but when your sink is clogged or you are locked out of your car, you might not have time to jump from page to page to book a service," it said on its ad support page.

According to Google, all the service professionals go through a screening process and they can't pay to be ranked higher within the ad unit.

The links to the service provider's profile also includes contact and hours of operation information, but also information about the contractor's background check, insurance and license information.

The new ad unit is still in beta and only available on desktop. It also only covers in certain parts of San Francisco, with ads only for locksmiths and plumbers right now, but we expect Google to end up expanding its testing area as well as the kinds of service providers being listed.

Via Buzzfeed

TOPICS
Latest in Search Engines
Perplexity search on a laptop.
How to replace Google Search with Perplexity AI
Google Learn About
Google Learn About is the patient teacher with a bag full of tricks we all wanted as kids
Bing
Microsoft is so desperate for people to drop Google for Bing it’s offering a $1 million reward
ChatGPT Search
I tried ChatGPT Search and now I might never Google again
Google AI Overviews
Google’s AI Overviews are now available to help a billion people avoid reading full articles
A person holding an iPhone close to the camera with the Google search homepage displayed onscreen
Judge rules Google has illegal search monopoly and you might not like what comes next
Latest in News
Google Pixel 9
The Google Pixel 10 just showed up in Android code – and may come with a useful speed boost
L-mount alliance
Sirui joins L-Mount Alliance to deliver its superb budget lenses for Leica, DJI, Sigma and Panasonic cameras
Security padlock and circuit board to protect data
Trust in digital services around the world sees a massive drop as security worries continue
A Lego Pikachu tail next to a Pebble OS watch and a screenshot of Assassin's Creed Shadow
ICYMI: the week's 7 biggest tech stories from LG's excellent new OLED TV to our Assassin's Creed Shadow review
Samuel and Romy standing very close together in A24's Babygirl movie
Everything new on Max in April 2025, including A24's Babygirl and The Last of Us season 2
An AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT made by Sapphire on a table with its retail packaging
AMD’s secret weapon against Nvidia seems to be stock – way more RX 9070 GPUs are rumored to be hitting shelves than RTX 5000 models