Local Marketing: Why Google Local Service Ads Is a Viable Option

Local Marketing: Why Google Local Service Ads Is a Viable Option

One undeniable truth is that marketing is not an easy industry. Combine the complexity of marketing and today’s fast-paced digital world, and we get one of the most relevant industries nowadays: Digital marketing. 

Digital marketing, similar to its offline efforts, is a complex industry you must be updated with the innovation the market offers. Learning how to position a brand, which social channels work best for your clients, and more. 

Google Ads is one of the best pay-per-click platforms available for marketers. Furthermore, the search engine offers a feature for local marketing: Google Local Service Ads. Knowing why Google Local Service Ads is a viable option for your local marketing efforts is crucial, and we’ll tell you all about it here. 

A Brief Tour Through Google Ads

Launched on October 23, 2000, Google Ads is one of the most popular self-serve advertising platforms and the first ever launched. Marketers use this advertising platform to create ads that reach targeted audiences. The tool works with a PPC method, meaning you only pay per each click people make on the ads. 

Google places its ads on the search engine, websites, mobile phone apps, videos, and more. Each time a potential customer clicks on it, the platform collects data and provides clicks and impressions on your advertised products. 

Google Ads Work, but It Takes Time

Local Marketing: Why Google Local Service Ads Is a Viable Option
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Advertisers know this, but it’s crucial to highlight that Google Ads are effective, but it takes time to see the results. At first, marketers might choose to work by targeting a specific audience, but the strategy might change over time and use keywords. 

However, you must give it time for the campaign to mature, which takes around three months. Later on, solidifying a campaign can take from six to twelve months, between establishing a customer base, boosting website traffic, and more. 

Getting Started With Google Local Service Ads

Now, it’s time for us to explore Google Local Service Ads. While the previous platform works through PPC, Google LSA works through a pay-per-lead method. Furthermore, this platform does not require marketers to create campaigns from scratch, as Google generates the ads. 

When working on a Google LSAs campaign, businesses go through a background check for their Google Screened or Google Guaranteed badges. 

These ads will show up for every person who uses Google search for local businesses, and they come up at the top of Google search results. They display the company name, location, reviews, phone number, business hours, and more.  

Countries in Which Google LSAs is Available

Knowing how to set up Google Local Service Ads is crucial, but before you learn about it, you must know which countries can use it. 

The countries that can use Google LSAs are: 

  1. Austria.
  2. Belgium.
  3. Canada.
  4. France.
  5. Germany.
  6. Ireland.
  7. Spain.
  8. Switzerland.
  9. United Kingdom.
  10. United States. 

Google LSA Categories 

Google Local Service Ads work by categories, from veterinarians and lawyers to yoga studios and beauty salons. 

Here are some of the categories available: 

  1. Appliance repair. 
  2. Business lawyers. 
  3. Carpet cleaning. 
  4. Carpenters. 
  5. Cleaning services. 
  6. Childcare services. 
  7. Electricians. 
  8. Flooring services. 
  9. Financial planners.
  10. Garage door services. 
  11. Home inspectors. 
  12. Home security services. 
  13. HVAC. 
  14. Landscaping services. 
  15. Moving services. 
  16. Pest control services. 
  17. Plumbing services. 
  18. Roofers. 
  19. Real estate agents.
  20. Snow removal services. 
  21. Tutoring services. 
  22. Veterinarians. 
  23. Window cleaning and repair services. 

This tool offers its service for over seventy business types. When working on getting a business approved for it, you must check if the category is available for the service area, as you’ll find that each country has different open types. Be sure to check Google’s eligibility per location. 

Google Local Service Ads Best Practices

Local Marketing: Why Google Local Service Ads Is a Viable Option
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When taking your SEO efforts to local service ads, you must ensure they meet Google’s standards. Here are some of the best practices you can take into account when running local ads on Google. 

Work From an Individual Account or With Google Partner

You can work with your individual Google account or choose the Google Partner program. Google Partner program is a service in which businesses grant access to third parties such as local agencies like Accelerate Marketing. 

When working with an individual account you might encounter some challenges and limitations to the available services. See which option works best for you and your business.

Have One County per LSA

According to Google, it is best to have one county per LSA. Having one county per account ensures that your ads reach the targeted audience and, consequently, helps you save money. 

Delimiting the audience you reach through these ads helps you avoid issues such as getting fake reviews and complaints. Simply put, having one county for each account will ensure you make the most of the budget you set up for this cost-per-lead service. 

Avoid Being Disapproved

Google-screened and Google-guaranteed badges require you to go through a specific process in which you provide business information and get approved. Similarly, Google LSA requires you to avoid being disapproved by preventing some of these issues: 

  1. Ensure your business does not have expired documents, especially insurance, and certificates. 
  2. Try to get as many positive reviews as possible. Negative reviews can affect your LSA. 
  3. Billing problems. 
  4. Delayed time responses. 
  5. Having no remaining budget. 

Manage Your Reviews

Reviews play a tremendously relevant role in local searches. Google reviews are some of the most sought-after feedback resources for potential customers, as they provide an overview of the business they’re interested in. 

Ensure you’re managing your reviews on LSA (and don’t forget about your Google Business Profile!), as it can help you boost your reputation, attract potential customers, and increase your ad ranking factors. 

Ensure You Choose the Correct Business Type

Assessing the type of service you offer according to Google’s standards is crucial for these ads. 

  • Guarantee these ads come up on locally relevant searches. For example, if you run a yoga studio, ensure the ad comes up when people search for studios near your location.
  • Furthermore, keep your ads’ accuracy finely tuned. Validate it has the correct business hours. If you’re fully booked, highlight it. 
  • Guarantee your ads have positive reviews, and manage them promptly. 

Benefits of Google Local Services Ads

Knowing what it takes to have a successful LSA campaign is crucial, but understanding the benefits is just as essential. Here are some of the reasons why you should consider investing in Google LSA: 

  1. They boost your business’s visibility: Since these ads show up on top of the search results, your business is more likely to be seen when potential local customers search, leading to boosting its visibility. 
  2. It takes your targeting efforts to the next level: When business owners use this tool, Google wants to ensure you target the right customers by providing specific local service categories. Once you choose the service you want for your campaign, your chances of targeting locals in the quest for the product or service you offer raises significantly. 
  3. It makes potential customers trust you: You must be a verified business to get Google LSA. Whether you have a Google guaranteed badge or a screened badge (look below to get more information about these badges), these automatically provide a sense of trust for potential customers.
  4. It maximizes your budget: Since this is a pay-per-lead service, you only pay when potential customers reach out through the ads. Furthermore, you can choose the desired number of leads per week. Be mindful that the costs per country, service, and competitors fluctuate.

Other Google LSA Features

Google’s local marketing tools offer more options for business owners. Since it is required for you to be Google screened or Google guaranteed to get access to LSA services, having these tags before starting the procedure will be a game-changer and help you speed up the process.

While both verifications offer the same result (having Google confirm your business is legit, each one stands for different industries 

Google Screened

Google Screened tags are catered toward white-collar businesses. Lawyers, real estate brokers, financial professionals, etc., can opt to get their labels. 

The verification process takes time, as Google must review all the information you provide. Furthermore, they could ask for additional documents and certifications, so ensure you have all your records at hand during this process. 

Google Guaranteed

If you’re a plumber, housekeeper, locksmith, or provide blue-collar services, Google Guaranteed is the tag for you. 

This tag has a different verification process than the one Google Screened has. Additionally, one crucial difference between each badge is that Google Guaranteed can get reimbursement for customers. If a client leaves a complaint, they can get reimbursed, and the platform might block the service provider.  

How Much Should You Spend in a Pay-Per-Lead Campaign?

Similar to pay-per-click ads, the budget will vary depending on the country, service, goals, number of qualified leads, and more. Some marketers set up a budget of $10 to $15 per day for their PPC campaigns, and the numbers change as time goes by. 

However, one of LSA’s most attractive features is that you set up the number of leads you wish to have, meaning that you can create a local advertising campaign that fits your budget and helps you boost your marketing strategy without having to spend enormous amounts of money. Our agency’s Google Local Service Ads efforts focus on providing results with a simple billing method, ensuring you get the most out of your campaign. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the Difference Between Google Ads and LSA?

The most prominent difference between these Google advertising tools is that Google Ads works through a PPC method, and LSA works with pay-per-lead campaigns. Google Ads show up across different Google partner platforms like YouTube, and LSAs come up on top of the SERPs. Furthermore, Google Ads requires keyword research. 

How Do I Improve My Google Local Service Ads Results?

According to the search engine, these are some of the things you can do to improve your local ads performance to get better results:  

  1. Expanding your service’s type and area: Instead of keeping your services within a specific zip code, consider adding the complete county you’re in. 
  2. Get reviews: Local listings must have reviews, and LSA is no exception. Encourage your customers to leave reviews. Try getting feedback from at least five customers at the beginning of your campaign, as this is the number of comments most business types require. 
  3. Use high-quality photographs: Follow the platform’s photo guidelines and add pictures of your team, products, and any other business-relevant feature. 

Can You Pay Google to Rank Higher?

No, you cannot pay Google to rank higher. Furthermore, you can’t pay the search engine to boost your SEO efforts. You can invest in Google Ads and LSAs and use some of their paid tools, but the results they provide cannot be altered by offering money to the platform. 

Wrapping Up

Knowing why Google Local Service Ads is a viable option for local businesses changes the approach company owners have for their online advertising efforts. 

We hope this article helped you decide to use LSAs to boost your local business presence online. Choose to work with a team of experts to take your online visibility to the next level, contact us now. Thank you for reading!