Google Local Service ads (LSA) are coming to Europe in October, with the service being rolled in the UK, France, Germany, and several other European countries. The service has been available since 2015 to those in the USA and Canada, to great success. What does that mean for you as a small business owner? Let’s find out.
WHAT ARE GOOGLE LOCAL SERVICE ADS?
First of all, what is a Google Local Service Ad and what does it mean for you? These are another way you can connect with searchers in your local area, and create new leads. When you have an LSA, the result for your business is located right at the top of the search results. It also is presented in card form, for maximum visibility.
While you may already have a Google My Business listing or Google Ad, this is a separate product. It’s main purpose to drive customers to your service and create leads. Therefore, the success of any LSA is measured through how many leads it generates.
They’ve proven popular overseas as the searcher doesn’t have to leave the SERPs in order to get in touch with you. Because of this, it can really improve your conversion rates.
WHICH BUSINESS CAN USED LSA’S?
Right now, not all small businesses will be able to use LSAs in the UK. The current list of vertical markets offered by Google are:
- Carpet cleaning
- Garage door repair
- HVAC services
- Pest control
- Removal services
- Tree services
- Water damage repair
- Window repair
- Appliance repair
- Electrical installation and repair
- House cleaners
- Lawn care
- Plumbing services
- Roofers
- Waste removal
- Window cleaning services
That’s still a wide range of services, so if your business falls within any of those categories, you can take advantage of this opportunity. With searches for home improvement going up in 2020, there’s a clear trend of these businesses benefiting from local search ads.
HOW MUCH DOES A GOOGLE LOCAL SERVICE AD COST?
You want to take advantage of this opportunity from Google, so you’ll want to budget for this extra marketing. How much does it cost to have one of these ads?
There isn’t a hard and set price for an LSA. Instead, they work on the ‘pay for results’ model. Here, the result would be a valid lead. This could be a booking from a customer, a phone call from them, or they leave you a voice mail. The more you receive from potential customers, the more your ad will cost. Of course, the more leads you generate, the more business you’ll bring in. In this case, they’ll often pay for themselves.
THE GOOGLE GUARANTEE
Businesses really thrive with LSAs because they come with the Google Guarantee checkmark. This is a sign that the business has been checked by Google, and are a sign that the business is legitimate. It’s a good way to bring in customers, as they’re looking for a service they can trust. It protects the customer, allowing them to claim money back if they try to solve their issue with the service provider and don’t get what they need.
If you want to retain that checkmark, you’ll need to ensure that you’re providing the best possible service. That checkmark can be taken away at any time, so be careful.
SIGNING UP FOR GOOGLE LOCAL SERVICE ADS
When you sign up for these ads, you’ll need to undergo a background check before it goes live. In the USA, that would be done by a third party, meaning it could take up to 14 days before the ad went live. In Europe though, all requests are being done in house by Google. That could mean your ad will be up so much sooner.
HOW DO RANKINGS WORK?
Unlike regular search results, things like keywords won’t be taken into consideration here. Instead, location, review scores and more will determine the results. This is why it’s best to have a Google presence already. Having a Google My Business profile will help you with rankings, if it’s up to date and managed carefully. With that info, you can and will be ranked higher.
You’ll also need to manage your responses in order to keep ranking higher. For example, you need to be able to respond to queries quickly, and manage the reviews you get. This shows you are interacting with customers, and working to give them the best possible experience.
If you manage this, you’ll be able to get that top spot above the other search results. As it sits at the top of the page, it will be one of the first things the searcher sees when they plug in their search term. It makes them more likely to click on it and get in touch with you, which is the end goal.
THE BENEFITS OF HAVING A GOOGLE LOCAL SERVICE AD
As a small business owner, having more exposure to potential customers is crucial. You work hard to create more leads every day, but as your specialism isn’t in online marketing it’s difficult to keep up.
The joy of a Google Local Service Ad is that it doesn’t require any extra work, such as keyword generation or research that needs to be done. You simply set the ad up with your business’s information and you’re ready to go.
Those who have used them in the past say they get new leads within days or setting up their ad. It can make all the difference to your business, so now is the time to investigate them. If you can get in there before the competition, you’ll have a serious head start.
Convinced that Google Local Search Ads are for your business? They’re an amazing way to bring traffic to your site and generate interest in your local business, so now’s the time to take advantage. Get yours set up today, and get ready to bring in all those new leads.
