How To Use Google Ads for Local Service?

In today’s highly competitive landscape, leveraging Google Ads for local service businesses can drive significant traffic, generate high-quality leads, and boost revenue. Google Ads offers precise targeting capabilities and cost-effective solutions that make it an indispensable tool for local service providers. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the most effective ways to harness Google Ads to maximize your local service business’s success.

Create a Google Ads Account with Local Service Goals in Mind

To get started with Google Ads for local services, the first step is to create a dedicated account:

1. Visit Google Ads and sign up or log in to your account.
2. Follow the step-by-step setup process, ensuring your business information is accurate and complete.
3. When creating a new campaign and choose your campaign goal as “Get more leads or website traffic” to focus on conversions.

This foundation will allow you to implement advanced targeting, reporting, and bidding strategies that are essential for local success.

Use Google Local Services Ads (LSAs) for Direct Lead Generation

Local Services Ads (LSAs) are a specialized format designed for local businesses. Unlike standard pay-per-click (PPC) ads, LSAs allow you to pay only for qualified leads. Here’s how to make the most of them:

• Sign Up for LSAs: Verify your business eligibility and complete the setup by providing relevant documentation and completing background checks.

• Optimize Your Profile: Add professional photos, customer reviews, and a detailed description of your services to build trust.

• Set Service Areas and Hours: Define the geographical regions you serve to attract local customers.

Using LSAs puts your business at the top of search results with a Google Guaranteed badge, boosting credibility and conversion rates.

Target Local Keywords with Precision

Keyword research is vital for Google Ads success in local services. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner to discover high-intent search terms. Focus on these strategies:

• Incorporate Location-Specific Keywords: Include city names, neighborhoods, and regional terms in your keywords (e.g., “plumber in Seattle” or “Los Angeles HVAC services”).

• Use Long-Tail Keywords: Target more specific phrases that indicate user intent, such as “emergency electrical repair in Austin.”

• Negative Keywords: Exclude irrelevant terms to avoid wasting your ad spend on unrelated clicks.

We generally recommend starting a new campaign with around 5 to 10 exact match, using […] – for example [plumber miami] or [locksmith austin]. Later in the process of analyzing your campaign performances, you will be able to identify which search terms are triggering your ads and might be interesting to add to your targeted keywords. When you do, you can either add them as exact matches, or expand your reach by using broad match.

Leverage Geo-Targeting for Maximum Efficiency

Geo-targeting allows you to display ads to users within a specific location. To set this up effectively:

• Define Your Service Area: In the campaign settings, choose cities, ZIP codes, or a custom radius around your business location.

• Exclude Irrelevant Locations: Prevent ads from showing in areas where you do not offer services.

• Use Location Bid Adjustments: Increase bids for areas with higher conversion potential.

By narrowing your audience geographically, you reduce costs and increase the relevance of your ads. We recommend using the Presence setting instead of Presence or Interest, to maximize the focus on the local traffic. Presence or Interest can also target people who are often in the targeted area but don’t necessarily live there, and therefore are not really incline to need your business service. For example someone commuting and working every day in the location you are targeting, but not living there.

Optimize Your Ad Copy and Extensions for Local Appeal

Creating compelling ad copy that resonates with local customers is critical. Follow these best practices:

• Highlight Location-Specific Benefits: Mention local expertise or quick response times (e.g., “Same-Day Plumbing Services in Miami”).

• Use a Clear Call-to-Action (CTA): Encourage users to take immediate action (e.g., “Call Now for a Free Quote”).

• Implement Ad Extensions: Add location extensions to display your address and phone number directly in the ad. Use callout extensions to emphasize key selling points.

Well-optimized ads with strong CTAs and relevant information improve click-through and conversion rates.

Utilize Smart Bidding Strategies for Better ROI

Smart bidding uses machine learning to optimize bids based on conversion data. For local service ads, these strategies can boost performance:

• Maximize Conversions: Automatically adjusts bids to generate the highest possible number of conversions.
• Target CPA (Cost per Acquisition): Sets bids to achieve a specific cost per lead.
• Enhanced CPC (Cost-Per-Click): Adjusts bids to increase the likelihood of conversion. Here is a guide about Google Ads CPC to learn more about the average of different industries.

Choosing the right bidding strategy depends on your business goals and available budget.

Track Conversions and Refine Campaign Performance

Tracking conversions is essential to measure the success of your Google Ads campaigns. Implement these strategies:

• Set Up Conversion Tracking: Use Google Tag Manager to track form submissions, phone calls, and other key actions. I always mention it but Analytics Mania is the best when it comes to explaining you how to use GTM for Google Ads.

• Use Google Analytics: Link your Google Ads account to Analytics for deeper insights into user behavior.

• A/B Test Ads: Experiment with different headlines, CTAs, and ad formats to identify top-performing combinations.

Regular monitoring and optimization ensure your campaigns remain profitable and aligned with business objectives.

Encourage and Manage Online Reviews

Positive customer reviews can significantly impact your Google Ads performance and overall reputation:

• Request Reviews: Ask satisfied customers to leave reviews on your Google Business Profile.
• Respond to Feedback: Engage with both positive and negative reviews to show you value customer input.

High-quality reviews improve your ad ranking and enhance customer trust. Learn more about Google Ads and your Google Business Profile.

Conclusion

Sitelink extensions are a powerful tool that can transform your Google Ads campaigns. By providing additional pathways to relevant content, they enhance user experience, increase visibility, and improve CTRs. Implementing and optimizing sitelink extensions effectively requires thoughtful planning, but the rewards in terms of higher engagement and conversions are well worth the effort.

FAQ – How To Use Google Ads for Local Service