If you’re a marketer for a home services company and are unaware of what Google Local Services are, you’re living under a rock! It’s time to take your business to the next level with arguably the best lead source out there and drive serious growth.
Google Local Services is Google’s pay-per-lead advertising platform that delivers search leads directly to local businesses. Differentiating from traditional Google Ads, which has been around since the beginning of time, Google Local Services was rolled out nationwide in 2018 and 2019 as a reliable lead source for businesses
Google Local Services primarily covers home service, professional services, healthcare, beauty, wellness and auto service industries (So its not for everybody). Google is constantly expanding this to more industries, but here are some of the most popular ones:
Home Services:
- Carpenter
- Flooring
- Electrician
- Handyman
- Mover
- Plumber
- Roofing
- Tree Removal
Professional Services:
- Law
- Finance planner
- Real estate agent
Healthcare:
- Dental
Where Do I Find Google Local Service Ads?
When making a search on Google for something such as “Roofing Boston MA”, you’ll see sponsored ads with star ratings next to them. These are local services!
Businesses that sign up for this service must undergo a background check and submit verified license and insurance information to Google. Google is committed to delivering the highest quality businesses possible to customers, and this service helps ensure that. Businesses also need to connect their Business Profile to their Local Services account so customers can get a better sense of who you are before reaching out.
How Do Google LSAs Differentiate from Typical Google Ads?
Google Ads, formally known as Google AdWords has been around since 2000. Local businesses can sign up for the service, and when optimized correctly with a skilled marketer, they can show up in search results for keywords that their customers are looking for. So far, this sounds similar to Google Local Services. The key difference? Google Ads charges businesses for website traffic clicks. This means that when your listings is showing up at the top of search results, you get charged when someone clicks and enters your website. If you are a home services company who thrives off leads, and that person never reaches out to you, you still get charged!
Google Local Services, which is handled and managed within a completely different dashboard, only charges businesses when a customer actually calls or messages a business. This means a user could click on your profile, browse around and call someone else and you don’t get charged a cent.
Should I Use Google Local Services as a Business?
If you run a business within one of the industries listed above and you are looking for a high quality lead source, you NEED to be on Google Local Services. While this platform is highly competitive and there are already so many businesses on it, the average cost per conversion is typically lower than Google Ads and any other 3rd party advertising service out there. We recommend every home services client of ours to be on it! It is important to know that there is no promise of hitting your suggested marketing budget or really getting leads at all with LSA though. Being so competitive and attractive due to its low cost per conversion, we have found not every business succeeds the same. BUT being a pay-per-lead service, this means there is no risk of wasting money!
If you are ready to get started, feel free to take a whirl and set up an account yourself! We have a full guide on how to optimize LSA accounts available. Boston Web Marketing also offers full service local services management services which includes creation and monthly management of the campaign.