Google Expands Geo-Location Ads to Desktop in Push for Dominance

Google is expanding one of its most successful mobile advertising features to the desktop. Geo-targeted advertising shows users ads relevant to their location, such as a sale at a nearby retailer or lunch specials at a local restaurant, and has been a successful feature of Google’s mobile ad strategy since its launch earlier this year. Cisco estimates location-targeted mobile advertising will account for $4.5 billion this year, rising more than 122% to over $10 billion by 2017. The world’s largest search engine has been tinkering with its ad effectiveness as it faces the threat of dwindling market share.