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March 19, 2024
You must first verify your business with Google to become a Google Guaranteed business.
Tip: to make your investment in local service ads go further, ensure your reviews and website are updated regularly with fresh content, as Google still ranks by these, and customers will not only be reviewing your business. They will be evaluating your competitors, too.
As the pool of customers expands in your region, so do surrounding services that support the population.
If you're a small business owner, you've probably come across hundreds, if not thousands, of services alike, trying to get the attention of very few.
Local service ads and Google Guaranteed help with this, as Google shows your Google Business Profile more frequently and lists your business on top of your competition.
Local Service Ads by Google is a pay-per-lead generation service for service based businesses such as :
If your business falls into this category, you can use the service to stand out from competitors and raise local awareness for your services. Essentially, it is a way for you to compete for the common search of 'service near me.'
Google ensures your dollars do not go to waste by only showing your services to nearby customers who are most likely to convert and use your services.
You, as a small business owner, need the best bang for your buck when it comes to ads -- for every dollar you put out, it needs to generate more revenue.
With Google Local Service Ads, you are only paying for leads most likely to convert, who are in your vicinity, so you don't have to drive further out into traffic, and the same is true for your customers.
It's beneficial for you and your customers for the reasons below.
Don't worry about showing up under a restaurant search because you will not.
Under Local Service Ads, you get a special placement above other services, the local pack, and Google Ads.
You also get Google Guaranteed, signified by a green marker (badge of honor, basically) beside your business listing, alongside additional benefits of ensuring your customers get the level of service Google has entrusted you.
I'm sure you've seen cross-country ads on your feed that have no business in your region. Advertising can be tough, especially if you're not sure about how to get the most reach and conversion for the least spend. Google takes care of this for you.
If you've already got marketing materials, a great website with SEO, and a brand with a great story that customers support and love, you'll get much better results with local service ads.
Imagine the brand recognition and outcome of having your truck/van wrapped, with hundreds or thousands of reviews online, and a website that clearly states the value your services bring. Local Service Ads would be the cherry on top.
You would be showing all of the above off while being placed on top of your competitors locally. This would likely increase your odds of getting more bookings and capture you more leads and future customers to nurture for repeat business.
Contrary to the benefit above, you could also minimize SEO investment this way.
Assuming you're in a region where competition isn't fierce, you've got some reviews, and not everybody has a great website, you can use Local Service Ads to bypass customers viewing your website. It goes to a phone call first, but know that it is common for customers to check websites to see if a business is reputable. You should consider a good one, as it is your online storefront.
Here's what this means :
Businesses with Google Guarantee get screened before they're added to the program. Customers will appreciate knowing your business underwent a rigorous review by Google. It would be difficult to falsify a business license, background check, and insurance, which are all requirements to be part of Google Guarantee.
Most successful local service ad campaigns are because of reviews.
Your customers, alongside Google's algorithms, love reading new reviews, which Reputigo can help you get more of.
81 percent of consumers use Google to evaluate local businesses and 64 percent of them likely check your Google Business Profile for reviews.
This one is important, if you're paying for Google local service ads, you should have the reputation to back it up or, if not, build enough credibility for Google and customers browsing your services to entrust their money with you.
Look at this way. You probably pay more attention to that NFL veteran star than the rookie who just joined the league. The NFL star has all the stats and accolades, and the rookie has stats, no awards, and really nothing to show.
Reviews provide social proof, giving your customers more of a reason to go on your website to request a quote or to research your business some more.
By driving more prospective customers to your website, you have a higher success rate of converting them to a sale and minimizing bounce -- visitors who view your website and exit immediately.
You're improving your web ranking(more click throughs) this way, and you'll also discover if your website is fit to be a sales machine. If you have visitors from your local service ads but they aren't converting to leads, you can assume your value messaging or call to action button isn't explicit or clear enough.
Your business needs to be highly rated to be considered, as Google reads them as part of their vetting process.
Reviews also help you compete with other services using local service ads, as Google factors in the frequency and consistency of your reviews.
Relevance is key.
If most of your reviews say you're the cheapest and quickest in town, you'll be shown more frequently to customers near you searching for 'cheapest service near me.'
A couple of ways.
You need to pick up the phone when a lead calls immediately and for your sake, qualify them. Your customers are likely shopping around and asking for quotes. Also, your office staff or technicians need to provide great customer service and value.
A 1 minute response time can lead to 391% more conversions!
You should have a good brand with a great story or an amazing sales-first website with glowing reviews and recommendations. When you have all three - a brand, search-engine-optimized website, and reviews - your business listing will attract customers.
Lastly, we've mentioned it a couple of times, but you need a review generation tool. You need to show off the work you're doing and let your customers do that for you. With Reputigo's review campaign, you could see a drastic improvement in the frequency of new reviews. Google factors in your reviews when ranking for Local Service Ads.
With regular Google ads, you aren't paying for leads; you pay per click regardless of an action a prospective customer does. They don't need to call or get a quote from your business.
You only get charged when a customer messages or calls you with Local Services Ads.
You're also getting fewer random viewers and tire-kickers (local service ads minimize them) since people only see your ad when proactively searching for your service. Ex. 'HVAC services near me.'
Whereas with Google Ads, you might show up when somebody is looking for a restaurant near them.
Leads can become expensive. You will encounter tire-kickers and lowballs, but it is all part of the process. So long as the revenue you generate outweighs your advertising investment and you qualify well, you are good.
Local service ad campaigns need commitment and resources. You won't find much result running a few-days long campaign.
