Advertise on Waze
To advertise on Waze in 2026, run a Performance Max for store goals campaign in Google Ads. Waze retired its own self-serve console in 2023, so there is no separate Waze sign-up. This guide covers advertising on Waze as it works today: the formats, the cost, free listings, and how to track results.
Key Takeaways
- Waze Local shut down in 2023; there is no standalone ads console.
- Waze ads now run through Performance Max for store goals in Google Ads.
- Your business shows as a Promoted Places in Navigation pin.
- Listings are free; paid pins ride your Google Ads budget.
What Is Waze?
Waze is a navigation app owned by Google, with about 180 million monthly active users. Advertising is how Waze makes money: businesses pay for map placements. Drivers share real-time traffic and road conditions, which saves everyone time and fuel on the daily commute. That large, in-car audience is exactly what makes it interesting for storefront advertisers.
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How to Advertise on Waze in 2026 (It Changed)
Waze used to sell its own self-serve ads through "Waze Local," with day-rate Starter and Plus plans. That system shut down on August 31, 2023.
Waze advertising is back, and you now buy it through Google Ads. On November 6, 2025, Google added Waze inventory to Performance Max for store goals in the United States, with more countries planned for 2026. If you run a Performance Max campaign optimized for store visits or store sales, your business can show on Waze as a "Promoted Places in Navigation" pin. Performance Max reuses your existing assets across Google Maps, Search, Display, YouTube, and now Waze.
The practical answer in 2026: set up Performance Max for store goals in Google Ads. There is no separate Waze Local sign-up anymore.
What Waze ads cost: there is no Waze rate card. Spend comes out of your Performance Max daily budget, allocated wherever store visits are most likely. You cannot buy Waze placements alone. Check the channel performance report to see what Waze drives.
Waze Ad Formats: Pins, Promoted Search, and Takeovers
Waze targets drivers who are near your location and making a real-time decision about where to stop. The placements below describe what users see on the map.
Branded pins - Like a storefront sign, a pin tells drivers your business is on or near their route.
Promoted search pins - Your locations surface at the top of Waze search, with your brand logo on the listing.
Zero-speed takeover - A full-screen ad, like a digital billboard, that shows only when the car is fully stopped.
Arrow on app open - An arrow that points to your nearby location the moment a driver opens the app.
These formats now serve through Google's ad stack rather than a standalone Waze console.
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How to Add Your Business to Waze for Free
You do not need an ad budget to get on the map. Adding a place to Waze is free. In the app, tap Reports, choose Place, photograph your storefront, and submit the name, category, and address. Volunteer map editors review the submission, and Waze emails you their decision. If the area is locked, suggest the edit and a local editor reviews it. For more control, add the listing yourself in the Waze Map Editor. Advertisers should also link an accurate Google Business Profile to Google Ads through location assets: Performance Max pulls hours, photos, and address from that profile, so a clean listing makes the paid pin work harder.
Who Waze Advertising Works Best For
Waze works best for businesses people drive to. Fuel and convenience brands, restaurants and drive-thrus, retail stores, and entertainment venues are the natural fit, because a well-timed pin can pull a nearby driver in right then. The audience is already in motion and close by, the whole advantage over search ads.
Tracking is what separates a real test from a guess. Watch the trend line of in-store foot traffic before and after the campaign goes live, and watch how many drivers search for your business or request directions.
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Waze Ads vs Google Maps, Apple Maps, and Bing
Waze competes with Apple Maps, Google Maps, and Bing Maps, and all of them now sell map ads. Google Maps placements run through Google Ads, Apple sells ads on Apple Maps through Apple Ads, and Bing pins run through Microsoft Advertising location ad extensions. Waze and Google Maps inventory sit inside the same Google Ads campaign, so one Performance Max setup reaches both audiences.
| Map app | How you buy ads | Placement |
|---|---|---|
| Waze | Google Ads, Performance Max for store goals | Promoted Places pin in navigation |
| Google Maps | Google Ads with location assets | Promoted pins and local search ads |
| Apple Maps | Apple Ads | Suggested Places and Maps search ads |
| Bing Maps | Microsoft Advertising | Location ad extensions on the map |
In Conclusion
Start small and test. Run Performance Max for store goals on a handful of your busiest locations, pair it with a specific in-store offer, and measure the lift in foot traffic before you scale. If the in-store delta is real, expand to more locations.
We have run local campaigns for businesses of every size, from coffee shops and furniture stores to multi-location brands. For help launching Waze and Google Maps ads and tying them to in-store results, our paid search team can build and manage the campaign for you.
