Google Local Services Ads | Our guide for local businesses
For a local business looking to attract more customers, local SEO is a great way to help ensure that highly-motivated potential customers, i.e. those who are actively looking for what you do where you do it, can find you.
Local SEO can deliver a steady stream of new customer enquiries and visits, but it can take time to rank. Sure there may be a few quick wins, but what if you need leads today?
This is where Google's Locals Services Ads come in.
What are Google's Local Services Ads?
Google's Local Services Ads (often abbreviated to LSA) help local businesses to connect with people nearby who are searching on Google for the services that you offer. The beauty of them is they only show when your services are most needed.
Google has been running these ads for quite some time for businesses in the USA, but only very recently became available to businesses here in the UK.
What do Local Services Ads look like?
Here's a recent example of some live Local Services Ads running for the term "plumber winchester" which as you can see are given priority over the regular Google Ads, organic listings and Local Pack.
How are Local Services Ads different from Google Ads?
Pay per lead, not per click
The key difference (apart from where and how they appear on Google results) is that Local Services Ads are purely Pay-per-Lead, currently (depending on industry and competitiveness) from around £5 per lead.
Local Services Ads will show up for customers in your area but - unlike their bigger brother "Google Ads" for which you pay each time someone clicks, regardless of whether they contact you or buy from you - with Local Services Ads you only pay if a customer contacts you directly through your ad. In other words you're paying purely for leads.
Build trust with a Google Guarantee
Local Services Ads require that you become a Google Guaranteed business, whereby Google will verify your business to ensure it meets local licence and insurance requirements.
This has the benefit of building trust with potential customers who know that Google has done the hard work of verifying your business in advance.
Zero keywords or ad variations
Unlike Google Ads, Local Services Ads are triggered automatically based on thousands of relevant search terms related to your industry. This means your campaign won’t require you to review, edit, optimise and test extensive keyword or ad variations.
Super easy to manage
Ads are easily updated or paused, so you manage your budgets and advertise only when you need to. You can even set a budget based on the number of leads that you want each week.
Easily track leads and manage your account via an online account or via the Local Services Ads app.In fact because customers can contact you directly from your ad, all you need to do is choose which jobs you want and track your appointments.
How is ranking determined on Local Services Ads?
The ranking of your Local Service Ads is determined by a number of factors that help Google match local businesses with customers. These include:
How close you are to potential customers' locations
The number and quality of your Google Reviews
How responsive you are to customer enquiries
Your availability, specifically your opening hours
Whether or not Google has received any serious or repeated complaints about your business
What can you control within your Local Services Ads?
The Google Local Services Ads dashboard and app aim to keep it simple, so there isn’t much to manage. Here’s a few of the things that you can specify for your campaign:
The services or job types you offer (from a predefined list based on your category)
Your service area
Your business hours and your ad schedule
Photos
Highlights from a predefined list (e.g. locally-owned & operated, emergency service, etc.)
Your weekly budget amount and bid type
What kinds of businesses can use Local Services Ads?
Unfortunately at the time of writing (September 2022) not all industries are eligible for Google's Local Services Ads.
While we’re eagerly waiting for ‘local SEO services’ to be added, the good news is that they are available to a wide range of trade business categories as follows:
Appliance Repair
Carpentry
Carpet Cleaning
Countertop Services
Electrical Engineering
Fencing
Flooring
Foundations
Garage Door
Home Improvement
Handyman
Home Inspection
House Cleaning
HVAC
Junk Removal
Landscaping
Lawn Care
Moving
Pest Control
Plumbing
Pool Cleaning
Pool Contracting
Roofing
Siding
Snow Removal Services
Tree Surgeon
Water Damage Services
Window Cleaning
Window Services