How Do I Advertise My Local Business on Google?
The best way to advertise your local business on Google is through Google Local Services ads. Google Local Services ads appear above organic and paid search results on Google.
What is Google Local Services Ads?
Google Local Services ads help you connect with people on Google who are searching for the services you offer. The ads you place will show up for people in your area only. Also, you only have to pay for the ad when a potential customer contacts you directly through the ad. If someone needs to find a local professional service provider in their area right away, they will most likely find that person through Google Local Services ads.
How Much Does Google Local Services Cost?
If you are considering running ads on Google Local Services, you are probably curious about the costs and payments for the advertisements. Typically, a Google Local Services ad costs between $6 and $30 per lead. The cost of the ad depends on a few factors, including the job and the industry. You are only charged when someone contacts you directly through the ad. And if you are contacted by someone who is deemed to be a poor match, fraudulent, or spam, you are able to dispute the charge with Google in exchange for a credit.
How Bidding Works for Local Services Ads
Next, let’s discuss how bidding works for Local Services ads. You will have to determine how much you are willing to pay for a lead, which is called your bid. According to Google, when similar local businesses bid on the same lead, those bids determine how much the lead is worth. You only pay for the ad when you get a lead. Bidding on leads can move your ad higher in the results, which can result in more customers for your business. You can manually set your own bid, or let Google set your bid for you and get the most leads for your budget.
How to Pay for Google Local Services Ads
When you sign up for Google Local Services ads, you will set up a billing account that will pay for your ads. Local Services uses Google Ads to run its billing and payment services. If you already have a Google Ads account, Local Services will automatically use the same payment settings you already have stored in Google Ads. If not, you will need to provide a credit card or your bank account information. You will be charged automatically as your ads are clicked on by customers.
How Do I Access Google Local Services?
If you are ready to get started, then you are probably wondering how to access Google Local Services. Head to Google’s Local Services ads page and you can get started today!
Your Google Local Services Account
About Access Levels in Your Local Services Account
You can share access to your Local Services ads account with other people who work for your business. Any person you invite to grant access to your account must have a Google account.
Manage Access to Your Local Services Ads Account
You can always grant, edit, or remove access for other users. If you have trouble with any of these steps, you can contact Google’s Local Services ads support.
About Business Bios
Your business bio lets you highlight the most important characteristics of your business for potential clients. The bio is shown on your profile, and you can choose a maximum of five ways to highlight your business. There are two different kinds of highlights. Standard highlights are ones you choose that are relevant to your business. Google-controlled highlights, on the other hand, are controlled by Google. An example of a Google-controlled highlight is BBB accreditation. Google verifies these highlights before adding them to your profile.
About Local Services Ads Data
If you are interested in seeing reports about your Local Services ads data, you can use the Local Services app or your lead inbox on a desktop computer. The data can help you understand how many leads you’re getting from your ad and track your ad’s success by measuring whether your leads are converting into bookings. It’s important to check your data so you can measure the ROI of your ads and see if they are working. If you need help tracking or understanding your data, SEO Design Chicago can help.
Local Services Ads Photo Guidelines
Your photos in your Local Services ads must meet Google’s guidelines:
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- File type: JPEG, PNG, TIFF, BMP, ICO, or WEBP
- Resolution: 640×640 or greater
- Maximum Size: 10 MB
- You must own the copyright for all images.
- The image content must be related to your business.
- The cover photo needs at 16:9 aspect ratio and 1440×810 minimum size.
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Google Ads and Local Services Ads Terms and Conditions
Before you launch your campaign on Google Local Services, it’s important to review the Google Ads and Local Services Ads Terms and Conditions.
Getting Started with Local Services Ads
The first step when you are getting started with Google Local Services ads is to confirm that your business is eligible. Your eligibility will depend on the kind of services you offer and where your business is located.
Create Profile
The next step to getting started with Google Local Services ads is to create your business profile. Your profile will help you connect with potential clients. It’s important to provide a specific, honest, and comprehensive description of your services and work area so that you connect with the best possible leads for your business.
Adjust Budget
Next, you need to set and adjust your budget. Google Local Services allows you to set a budget based on how many leads you would like to receive per week. If you are getting too few or too many leads, you can adjust your budget accordingly.
Book Appointments
Now that your profile has been created and you have been verified, it’s time to start running your ads and booking appointments with the new clients you find through Google Local Services!
Get Verified
If you are interested in advertising on Google Local Services, it’s important to understand the screening and qualification process. In order to run your ads on Google Local Services, the search engine will check to make sure that you are a licensed and insured professional. You will need to undergo a Google Local Services ads background check before running your ads. This will give your business The Google Guarantee badge, which will make potential clients more likely to trust your business.
About Google Screened
If you want to go the extra mile to earn the trust of your potential customers, you can become a Google Screened or Google Guaranteed provider. If you do so, you will get a badge for your business on your profile that gives you extra credibility and gives customers extra incentive to book your services.
What About Ad Rankings?
Just like there is limited space on the search engine results page, there are also limits to how many ads will appear on Google Local Services ads. Up to three Local Services ads will display on desktop, two on mobile, and only one on Google Assistant. You will want your Google Local Services ad to have a high ranking so that it will be seen by the most people. Google determines your ad ranking by looking at how close you are to potential customers, how many reviews and stars your business receives, your responsiveness to customers, your business hours, and whether or not you have received any complaints from customers.
Google Local Services Ads vs. Google Lead Services
It’s important to make sure you run your ads on Google Local Services and not Google Lead Services. The latter is a dubious advertising service that is notorious for showing users unsafe ads and redirecting them to unknown websites.
Google Local Services Reviews
If you want to book more clients through Google Local Services ads, it’s important to accrue some positive reviews from your clients. According to Google, your star rating and number of reviews affect how your business is ranked on the site. Typically, businesses with more stars and reviews book more jobs. That’s why it is important to ask your clients to review your business on Google.
Google Local Services How-Tos
Let’s go over some of the steps for processes you might need to know within Google Local Services.
How to Edit Your Budget
First, sign in to your Local Services lead inbox. Click the menu at the top. Then, click Profile & Budget. Click Weekly Budget to expand the budget settings. Edit the budget as you need. Then, click save.
How to Edit Your Billing Information
First, sign in to your Local Services Ads lead inbox. Click the menu at the top. Then, click billing. Under “Settings,” click Manage settings. Under “Payments Profile,” click the pencil icon next to “Name and address.” Edit your name and billing address, then click save.
How to Dispute Charges
To dispute charges, click the menu at the top right of the lead page. Choose “Dispute.” Pick the reason why the charge is not valid. If the reason isn’t listed, you can contact Google to dispute the charge.
How to Edit Your Ad
First, tap the menu in the top left. Select My Profile from the menu. Select the information you want to edit, then enter the new information. Press save.
About the Local Services Ads Partner Program
Some Local Services businesses actually don’t advertise directly with Google. Instead, they advertise as a member of a partner affiliate network. These businesses are identified by the “from (partner name)” label on their profile. These providers do not receive Local Services Ads leads through Google, but directly through the partner affiliate’s program. Some of these partner affiliate providers include Thumbtack and NetWorx.
Other Ways to Advertise Your Local Business on Google
If Google Local Services ads don’t seem to be the right fit for your business, there are other ways you can advertise on Google! There are Google Local Campaigns, Google AdWords, and more. When it comes down to Google Local Services vs. AdWords, we prefer Google Local Services ads for service providers. However, Google Ads (also referred to as Google AdWords) is also a great advertising platform.
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