Google Local Services Ads (LSA): The Important Bits

Google Local Services Ads (LSA) are revolutionizing how local businesses connect with potential customers. The LSA tool is designed to boost visibility for local service businesses. These ads appear at the top of search results.

They are also making it easier for customers to find and contact service providers in their area. With Google Guarantee backing these ads, local service businesses can build trust and attract more local customers.

The pay-per-lead model ensures that businesses only pay for genuine leads, making it a cost-effective advertising solution. The local services ads app makes managing your local services ads account straightforward.

LSA tools allow you to monitor performance and adjust your campaigns on the go. Running local service ads can significantly enhance your reach and drive more qualified leads to your business. This blog post will cover all the essential information about Google Local Services Ads. That can include setting up and optimizing your local services ads account.

What are Google Local Services Ads (LSA)?

Google Local Services Ads (LSA) are a powerful tool to connect local businesses with potential customers actively seeking their services. Unlike regular PPC ads, local services ads are displayed at the top of Google search results, ensuring prime visibility.

These ads operate on a pay-per-lead basis, meaning you only pay for legitimate leads, keeping ads cost-efficient. When you run local service ads, your business can become Google Guaranteed or Google Screened, boosting customer trust.

LSAs highlight business registration, business hours, and customer reviews, helping you secure more jobs. Available in countries like France, Germany, Ireland, LSAs are a game-changer for local service businesses.

Main Features

Google Local Services Ads (LSA) offers powerful features for home service businesses looking to connect with local customers. Here are the main features:

  • Top Placement: LSAs consistently appear above organic listings at the top of search results, ensuring maximum visibility.
  • Automatic Ad Text: Ad text is automatically generated based on business reviews, location, and other business details, simplifying setup.
  • Google Guarantee Badge: Earn the Google screened badge for added credibility, which can enhance customer trust.
  • Direct Engagement: Ads prompt direct phone calls, messages, or bookings, making it easy to communicate with customers.
  • Customer Reviews: Gather customer reviews directly on your LSA profile to build a strong reputation.
  • Service Area Targeting: Define your service area to reach potential customers within specific locations.
  • Business Registration and Verification: Home service providers must complete business registration and verification to ensure legitimacy.
  • Monthly Budget Control: Set a monthly budget that fits your advertising goals and manage expenses effectively.
  • Google’s Discretion: Ad placement and visibility are influenced by Google’s discretion based on various factors.
  • Service Categories: Supported categories include plumbers, electricians, HVAC, and more.

Supported Service Categories:

  • Appliance repair services
  • Carpenters
  • Carpet cleaning services
  • Cleaning services
  • Countertop services
  • Electricians
  • Fencing services
  • Flooring services
  • Foundations services
  • Garage door services
  • General contractor services
  • Handyman
  • Home inspection services
  • HVAC (heating or air conditioning)
  • Junk removal services
  • Landscaping services
  • Lawn care services
  • Moving services
  • Pest control services
  • Plumbers
  • Pool cleaning services
  • Pool contracting services
  • Roofers
  • Siding services
  • Snow removal services
  • Tree services
  • Water damage services
  • Window cleaning services
  • Window repair services

Run local service ads to expand your reach and attract more potential customers in your area.

Main Benefits

We have gone through the basics of Google LSA. But what are the benefits of using it?

  • Enhanced cost-effectiveness: Google LSA operates on a cost-per-lead model, ensuring you only pay for genuine business leads. Unlike Google Ads, you are not charged for irrelevant clicks, so there is no budget wastage.
  • More leads: Google LSA is expected to increase website visits and real business. The placement of the ads at the top of search results is a significant advantage, and features like the Google Guarantee and star ratings help attract more customers by enhancing visibility and reputation.
  • Easier: Google Local Services Ads are easier to set up than Google Ads. While you still need to provide various information and go through an approval process, the Google Local Service ads are mostly automated. An SEO and PPC agency can assist with the initial setup; from then on, it’s pretty simple to operate.
  • Greater budget transparency: With other marketing, it cannot be easy to estimate cost-effectiveness correctly, but this isn’t the case with Google LSA. The payment structure and Google’s CPL figure (cost per lead) make it easy to see if the campaign works.
  • Budget transparency: Compared with other marketing methods, it is much less challenging to determine cost-efficiency accurately with Google LSA. The payment model and Google’s CPL (cost per lead) figure allow you to assess a campaign’s effectiveness quickly.

Cost and Payment Structure

The cost and payment structure of Google Local Services Ads (LSAs) is designed to maximize value for home service businesses. These ads operate on a pay-per-lead basis, meaning you only pay when a potential customer views your local services ad and contacts you via message, phone call, or booking. This model eliminates the wasted costs associated with traditional ad views, making your investment more efficient.

To run local services ads, you must set a monthly budget aligning with your revenue and growth goals. On average, LSA leads cost between $25-$45, depending on the competitiveness of your service area and other factors. Home service providers in certain service categories can enhance their visibility by obtaining the Google Screened badge, which boosts trust and helps gather customer reviews.

Best Practices and Optimization Tips

Compared to Google Ads, insights on ad quality scores become unnecessary, simplifying the process. However, there are still differences worth noting. Let’s explore some of them in the following sections.

Ensure Google Sees Your Business As Reputable

To create Google LSA, you must undergo vetting and approval. This involves setting up your profile and filling out various sections, such as licensing information, a background check, customer reviews, billing information, and a weekly budget. The specific information needed may vary depending on the local services, but providing as much information as possible is important for a successful application.

Job Types Are Important

Ensure to review and update the job types section in the Google LSA dashboard, as it enables you to specify the services you provide. Keeping an updated list helps customers understand your capabilities and prevents wasted time on requests you cannot fulfill.

Take Leads Seriously

A lead has expressed interest in your business but has not made a purchase. Maintaining a record of your leads and promptly responding to them is crucial. The faster you respond, the more likely they will engage with your business. Rapid response times can also enhance your standing and feedback on Google.

Is a Google LSA campaign right for your business?

If your company fits into one of the service categories, considering adding Google LSA to your PPC campaigns is crucial. Google LSA should not be a substitute for PPC but should complement it instead. By running both ad campaigns, you can target specific locations with Google LSA and have broader coverage for customers not as far along in the search process with your PPC ads.